Nigeria’s national team coach Eric Chelle has officially announced his squad for the 2025 Unity Cup, assembling 25 players for the tournament set to be held in West London at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium.
Notably absent from the roster are prolific striker Victor Osimhen and Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman. Nonetheless, the squad features notable names such as Moses Simon (Nantes), Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City), and Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United), alongside veteran forward Ahmed Musa, who now plays for Kano Pillars.
The list also includes a significant number of NPFL players, including Junior Harrison Nduka and Sodiq Ismaila of Remo Stars, Enugu Rangers trio Ifeanyi Onyebuchi, Saviour Isaac, and Collins Ugwueze, as well as Waliu Ojetoye from Ikorodu City.
These local talents will play alongside European-based stars like Samuel Chukwueze, Kelechi Iheanacho, and Cyriel Dessers.
Scheduled to begin on May 27, the Unity Cup will pit Nigeria against Ghana, Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago.
Nigeria faces arch-rivals Ghana on May 28 in what promises to be a fiery 74-year-old football rivalry revived on foreign soil. The competition wraps up with the final and third-place decider on May 31.
Coach Chelle described the Unity Cup as a valuable opportunity to explore tactical flexibility and assess player depth ahead of crucial fixtures in the latter part of the year.
Separately, Chelle has announced a 21-man squad for a high-stakes friendly with Russia on June 6 at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
The roster welcomes back key figures like William Troost-Ekong, Ola Aina, Bright Osayi-Samuel, and in-form striker Victor Boniface, complementing a core group from the Unity Cup lineup.