WCQ: Finidi Drops Musa, Iheanacho as He Names 23-Man Squad for Rwanda, Zimbabwe

Super Eagles coach Finidi George has left out Ahmed Musa and Kelechi Iheanacho from Nigeria’s 23-man squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe. See the full squad list.

Skipper Ahmed Musa and forward Kelechi Iheanacho were notable absentees from Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle’s final 23-man squad for the crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe.

Musa was unexpectedly included in Chelle’s provisional 39-player roster for the World Cup Qualifiers, prompting fans to question his selection after being absent from the team for nearly a year.

In the final roster for next week’s games, the Malian coach set to lead the Super Eagles for his first match removed both the player from Kano Pillars and Iheanacho of Middlesbrough.

File photo: Ahmed Musa celebrates after scoring Nigeria’s opening goal in the match. His strike also marked Nigeria’s first goal at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Credit: Mark Ralston / AFP

Despite being a member of the Super Eagles team that participated in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire early last year, Musa did not play at all. Iheanacho also played for that silver medal-winning squad.

In the squad announced on Tuesday, Chelle included familiar names such as Alex Iwobi, William Troost-Ekong, Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Victor Boniface, Simon Moses, and Stanley Nwabali.

Additionally, the squad features Ola Aina, Calvin Bassey, and Wilfred Ndidi. Nathan Tella and Joe Aribo have also returned after being out for an extended period.

The coach awarded a first-time call-up to Tolu Arokodare, Igoh Ogbu, and Papa Mustapha for the games.

Nigeria will face Rwanda on March 21 in Kigali, followed by a home match against the Warriors of Zimbabwe at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium four days after.

These games will be a crucial test for Chelle, who assumed leadership in January. He faces an enormous challenge as he attempts to revive Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying for the World Cup after their poor performance at the start of the series. The 1980 AFCON champions have only secured three points—all from draws—in four matches since commencing their qualification campaign. They currently trail Rwanda by four points, who sit atop Group C in the African qualifiers for the World Cup.

Nigeria’s defender, William Troost-Ekong (#5), celebrates following the victory at the conclusion of the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final match between Nigeria and Angola. The game took place on February 2, 2024, at Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan. (Photo by Issouf SANOGO / AFP)

William Ekong plays for Al-Kholood FC in Saudi Arabia; Bright Osayi-Samuel is with Fenerbahce SK in Turkey; Bruno Onyemaechi represents Olympiacos FC in Greece. Calvin Bassey is a player at Fulham FC, England, while Olaoluwa Aina competes for Nottingham Forest also based in England. Meanwhile, Igoh Ogbu belongs to SK Slavia Prague located within the Czech Republic.

Equatorial Guinea’s midfielder, Jose Machin (#7), battles for possession with Nigeria’s Alex Iwobi (#17) during the Group A match of the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2024. The game took place between Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea at Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Ebimpe, Abidjan, on January 14, 2024. (Photo by Issouf SANOGO / AFP)

Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, UK); Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge, Belgium); Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi (New England Revolution, USA); Alex Iwobi (Fulham FC, UK); Joseph Ayodele-Aribo (Southampton FC, UK); Papa Daniel Mustapha (Niger Tornadoes)

Nigeria’s forward #18, Ademola Lookman (left), celebrates with fellow forward #9, Victor Osimhen, after scoring his team’s opening goal during the Africa Cup of Nations 2023 round of 16 match between Nigeria and Cameroon at Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on January 27, 2024. (Photo by Franck Fife / AFP)

Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan, Italy); Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray FC, Turkey); Ademola Lookman (Atalanta BC, Italy); Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany); Simon Moses (FC Nantes, France); Sadiq Umar (Valencia CF, Spain); Tolu Arokodare (KRC Genk, Belgium).