AFCON 2025
Eric Chelle has kept much of the established core of the Super Eagles intact for Nigeria’s opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.
Victor Osimhen is back. So are Ademola Lookman, Wilfred Ndidi, Alex Iwobi, Stanley Nwabali and Ola Aina.
But buried among the familiar names are three players preparing for what could be the biggest international moment of their young careers.
Isaac James, George Ilenikhena and Moses Usor have received their first senior invitations to the Super Eagles.
The trio arrive from three different footballing environments and with very different profiles, but they have one thing in common: strong recent club form has forced their way into Chelle’s plans.
Nigeria will host Madagascar in Uyo on September 25 before travelling to Bissau to face Guinea-Bissau four days later. The two matches will open the Super Eagles’ campaign for a place at the 2027 AFCON.
For the three newcomers, however, the qualifiers are about more than the result, they are the first opportunity to turn promising club careers into a place in the senior national team.
Isaac James: The left-sided solution
For Isaac James, the route to the Super Eagles has been built on consistency.
The 22-year-old Alverca defender has established himself in Portugal’s Primeira Liga and has started all six of the club’s league matches this season, playing 514 minutes and registering two assists.
His form has arrived at an important moment for Nigeria.
Zaidu Sanusi is unavailable through injury, leaving Chelle in need of another option on the left side of his defence.
James offers exactly that. Naturally a left-back, he is also capable of operating further forward as a wing-back or in a left-sided defensive role. His versatility gives Chelle another option in a department where Bruno Onyemaechi is currently the more established choice.
But James’ appeal goes beyond filling a vacant position. His development has taken him through different footballing environments. He began his career in Nigeria before moving to France, where he progressed through Lorient’s system, and eventually continued his development in Portugal.
His early-season performances for Alverca have now earned him an opportunity to test himself against senior international football.
The timing could hardly be more interesting. James has never played a senior international for Nigeria, but he is arriving in a squad that also contains the more established Bruno Onyemaechi, Ola Aina and Bright Osayi-Samuel.
That means his first challenge is not necessarily to displace anyone.
It is to show Chelle that he belongs. And if James can reproduce the attacking energy and defensive discipline he has shown for Alverca, he could give the coach a new option on the left side of the Super Eagles.
George Ilenikhena: A striker making noise in Saudi Arabia
If James has earned his opportunity through consistency, George Ilenikhena has arrived on the back of headlines.
The 20-year-old forward has made an explosive start to life at Al-Ittihad and announced himself emphatically in September when he scored twice in a 2-1 victory over Al-Nassr.
The performance came against a side containing Cristiano Ronaldo and earned Ilenikhena the Saudi Pro League’s Goal of the Week award for his second strike. He then scored again in Al-Ittihad’s 2-1 win over Al-Fayha.
For a young striker, those are the kind of performances that change the conversation.
Ilenikhena is not an unknown talent. He developed in France before moving to Belgium, where he played for Royal Antwerp, and later joined Monaco. His career has already included Champions League experience and goals against some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
But his move to Saudi Arabia has given him something different: responsibility.
At Al-Ittihad, he is competing for minutes and goals in a team filled with established international stars.
And he has responded with performances that have caught Nigeria’s attention.
His profile also makes the call-up particularly interesting.
Ilenikhena is a direct centre-forward with pace and the ability to attack space behind defenders. He is not simply a traditional penalty-box striker.
That gives Chelle another type of attacking option.
Nigeria already have Victor Osimhen and Tolu Arokodare, while Akor Adams offers another physical presence up front. Ilenikhena brings something slightly different. He can run beyond the defensive line. He can attack transitions..
Ilenikhena was eligible to represent France but has committed his senior international future to Nigeria.
Now, he has the opportunity to begin that journey.
Moses Usor
Moses Usor’s journey to the Super Eagles has perhaps been the longest of the three.
The 24-year-old attacker has spent the past few seasons building his reputation in Austria with LASK after beginning his European career with Slavia Prague.
And the 2025/26 season was the campaign in which he truly announced himself.
Usor scored 15 goals and provided five assists in all competitions as LASK enjoyed a historic season.
His form also extended into Europe.
When LASK faced Celtic in Champions League qualifying, the Austrian side appeared to be heading out after losing the first leg 3-0.
Then came the return leg. LASK produced a remarkable 5-1 comeback, with Usor scoring and assisting as his team overturned the deficit and advanced.
That performance offered a glimpse of the qualities that have made him attractive to Chelle.
Usor is not restricted to one attacking position.
He can operate from either flank, play closer to the striker and contribute in different phases of the attack.
That versatility could prove valuable to Nigeria.
The Super Eagles already have established wide options in Ademola Lookman, Samuel Chukwueze and Moses Simon.
So Usor’s challenge is not simply to compete for a wing position.
He has to convince Chelle that he can offer something different.
And his current season suggests he is ready to make that argument.
Through September 13, Usor had already made nine appearances across competitions, scoring three goals and providing four assists, according to his match logs.
His first senior call-up therefore comes after more than one good performance. It follows a sustained period of production.
Now comes the next test. Can that production survive the jump from Austrian football to international football?
