Nigeria’s head coach Eric Chelle is looking to lean on his squad’s depth to deal with the absence of Victor Osimhen in the clash against South Africa.
The Super Eagles take on Nigeria on Tuesday, September 9 at 16:00 GMT in South Africa in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Group C.
Osimhen will miss the game due to an injury he picked up in Nigeria’s 1-0 win over Rwanda in the game prior and Chelle spoke about how he plans to handle the absence of the Galatasaray star forward in a pre-game conference.
“[Victor] Osimhen is a big star, a very good player, but I also have a big group and they want to play a great game. This is a big game, I am really happy to play this game, like my players” Chelle said.

Nigeria rank third in Group C with 10 points from seven games with South Africa leading the group with 16 points. Only the top ranked team at the end of the qualifiers progresses to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.










