Although the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup in the Americas, their journey towards rebuilding is underway, with fans set to watch the team compete in a four-nation tournament.
The competition, featuring Jordan, Iran, and Costa Rica, offers head coach Eric Chelle a valuable platform to experiment with new players, regain momentum, and test tactical ideas.
These fixtures mark Nigeria’s first matches since securing third place at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.
The team has already arrived in Türkiye for the tournament, where they will face Iran on 27 March before taking on Jordan on 31 March. The matches were relocated from Amman due to security concerns in the Middle East.
The Super Eagles camp is now fully assembled in Turkey. Despite the absence of key players Victor Osimhen and Calvin Bassey due to injuries, the squad still boasts 22 available players for the games.
Ademola Lookman, the 2024 African Player of the Year, is part of the squad. Alongside the Atlético Madrid forward, Chelle will rely on experienced players such as Alex Iwobi and Moses Simon to lead the attack.
Captain Wilfred Ndidi, along with Semi Ajayi and Samuel Chukwueze, also provides leadership within the squad.
Other established players including Zaidu Sanusi and Frank Onyeka are expected to feature, while newcomers Collins Yira, Emmanuel Oluwasegun Fernandez, and forward Philip add fresh options to the team.
Historically, Nigeria and Iran have met twice at senior level. A goal from Ahmed Garba secured victory for Nigeria at the Carlsberg Cup in Hong Kong in January 1998, while both sides played out a goalless draw at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where Nigeria advanced to the round of 16 before exiting the tournament.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s slim hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup have suffered a setback after FIFA rejected a petition filed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) against DR Congo.
The NFF had challenged the eligibility of certain DR Congo players who featured in the World Cup play-off held in Rabat, Morocco, last November.
DR Congo progressed after a 4-3 penalty shootout victory over Nigeria, earning a place in the intercontinental playoffs. The NFF had raised concerns over alleged irregularities in the issuance of passports to some Congolese players.
Following FIFA’s decision, the NFF has announced plans to appeal the ruling.
“We have received the decision of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee on our petition, but we are not satisfied with the decision, which rejected our petition.
“I want to assure Nigerians that the NFF has immediately commenced the process of appealing the decision,” said NFF General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi.
The intercontinental play-offs are set to commence on Thursday, with two teams securing qualification spots for the World Cup.