Nigeria’s preparations for their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers have taken a hit after Bright Osayi-Samuel and Cyriel Dessers were ruled out through injury.
The Nigeria Football Federation confirmed that both players will miss the upcoming fixtures against Lesotho and Benin after sustaining knocks with their clubs.
Osayi-Samuel sat out Birmingham City’s 1-1 draw with Wrexham on Friday, while Dessers was omitted from Panathinaikos’ matchday squad in Greece due to fitness concerns.
Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has moved swiftly to reinforce the squad, handing late call-ups to Porto fullback Zaidu Sanusi and Crystal Palace midfielder Christantus Uche.
Sanusi, who has regained form at Porto with nine appearances and two goal involvements this season, steps in for Osayi-Samuel at right-back.
Uche, meanwhile, earns a recall despite limited minutes in the Premier League, with just 51 minutes of action for Palace so far this campaign.
Nigeria are set to face Lesotho’s Crocodiles before taking on Benin’s Cheetahs as they look to kickstart their qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup.
