Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has called up Porto defender Zaidu Sanusi and Crystal Palace midfielder Chrisantus Uche as late replacements ahead of Nigeria’s crucial matches against Lesotho and Benin in the final round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Afrosport reports.
Sanusi and Uche will replace the injured duo of Birmingham City defender Bright Osayi-Samuel and Panathinaikos striker Cyriel Dessers. The changes were confirmed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) late Saturday, with players expected to report to camp in Polokwane, South Africa, from Monday.
Eric Chelle makes two changes to his 23-man squad as Zaidu Sanusi and Christantus Uche replace the injured Cyriel Dessers and Bright Osayi-Samuel. #SoarSuperEagles #FIFAWCQ pic.twitter.com/PeC6VloKOh
— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) October 4, 2025
Osayi-Samuel missed Birmingham City’s Championship clash with Wrexham on Friday, while Dessers has been sidelined with a sprain that ruled him out of Panathinaikos’ recent league and Europa League matches.
Meanwhile, this marks Sanusi’s first call-up since the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast after recovering from an ACL injury that kept him out for most of last season. The 28-year-old has made a strong return for Porto, featuring in all seven league matches and both of their Europa League wins.
Uche, who joined Crystal Palace from Getafe on transfer deadline day, has made two substitute appearances for the Eagles since his move.
Nigeria face Lesotho at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in South Africa on Friday, 10 October before hosting Benin four days later in Uyo, with both fixtures set to determine their qualification fate.
The Super Eagles currently sit third in Group C with 11 points — three behind joint leaders Benin and South Africa — and must win their remaining games to stand a chance of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
