The Super Eagles have opened their training camp in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, ahead of the team’s crucial matches against Benin Republic and Rwanda.
The team will face Benin on Matchday Five at the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, before returning home to host Rwanda at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, for the final qualifying match on Matchday Six.
Two players, USA-based midfielder Alhassan Yusuf and newly invited defender, Victor Collins, were the first to report to camp.
Yusuf traveled from Kano to Abuja before flying out to Abidjan with Collins, a Nasarawa United defender, making his debut with the senior national team.
Collins is the only player from the Nigeria Premier Football League to receive a call-up for the qualifiers.
The 24-year-old left-sided central defender has proven himself in the domestic league, featuring in full minutes across seven of Nasarawa United’s 10 league matches this season, which brings his total to 630 minutes.
Collins sat on the bench for two games and was left out of the lineup for one, underscoring his consistency and growing experience in top-tier Nigerian football.
Leading the charge for Nigeria in this final qualifying push are star forwards Victor Osimhen, the reigning African Player of the Year, and Ademola Lookman.
Both players are expected to bring their offensive prowess to secure the Super Eagles’ spot in the 2025 African Cup of Nations in Morocco.
With 10 points from four games, the Super Eagles top the group and need only a single point from the two remaining matches to confirm their place in the tournament next year.
