Eric Sekou Chelle will hold his first training session as Nigeria’s senior national team Head Coach in Kigali, where the Super Eagles will camp and prepare for their 2026 World Cup qualifying clash against hosts Rwanda on March 21, 2025, Completesports.com reports.
The Franco-Malian, contracted to lead the Eagles’ charge for a ticket to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will face his first test against Rwanda. To this effect, the Super Eagles players are expected to fly from their respective clubs to Kigali, where the camp opens on 17 March.
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“We expect the players to fly directly to Kigali from their respective clubs, latest by Tuesday, 18 March, while the technical crew, led by Eric Chelle, and the backroom staff are expected to arrive in the Rwandan capital a day earlier,” a top official of the NFF told Completesports.com.
The official further revealed: “Chelle’s foreign assistants are also flying directly to Kigali, while his Nigerian assistants and backroom staff, along with a home-based goalkeeper, will depart on Sunday, 16 March, ahead of the players. We are optimistic that the players will respond positively by arriving early.
“We in the NFF are providing the coach and the team with all the necessary support to ensure we secure maximum points and avenge the AFCON 2025 qualifier loss to Rwanda in Uyo late last year. The Super Eagles cannot afford to drop any points at this stage if we want to be at the 2026 World Cup. We have to get our qualification campaign back on track, and that starts in Kigali,” the official stated.
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Meanwhile, Completesports.com has gathered that Eric Chelle has named Victor Osimhen and four other strikers in his 23-man squad. He has also invited the leading goalscorer in the Belgian league, Toluwalase Emmanuel Arokodare, alongside Victor Boniface, Sadiq Umar, and Paul Onuachu, among others, for the match.
Super Eagles who currently occupy the 5th position in the 2026 World Cup African qualifying Group C on three points from four matches will host Zimbabwe in Uyo on March 24 to round up their group phase campaign.
By Richard Jideaka, Abuja.