Nwabali & Okoye Out, Okonkwo In As Eric Chelle Unveils 27-Man Super Eagles Squad For Unity Cup Defence

by HEDNEWS on May 21, 2026

Nwabali & Okoye Out, Okonkwo In As Eric Chelle Unveils 27-Man Super Eagles Squad For Unity Cup Defence Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has unveiled a 27-man squad for Nigeria’s title defence at the 2026 Unity Cup in London, with the biggest surprise being the omission of first-choice goalkeepers Stanley Nwabali and Maduka Okoye. In their place, Chelle handed a maiden senior national team invitation to Arthur Okonkwo, the Wrexham goalkeeper who recently committed his international future to Nigeria after securing FIFA clearance.The squad, announced ahead of the Unity Cup tournament scheduled to hold in London from May 26 to May 30, reflects Chelle’s determination to test fresh talents and reward standout performers from the Nigeria Premier Football League NPFL.The Franco-Malian tactician included 12 debutants in the squad, including several home-based stars and foreign-based players of Nigerian descent. Among the notable inclusions are Swedish-based youngster Zadok Yohanna, Millwall winger Femi Azeez, striker Owen Oseni, and NPFL stars such as Michael Atata, Obinna Igboke, Chibueze Oputa, and Aderemi Adeoye.According to reports, Chelle had earlier stated that the Unity Cup would serve as an experimental platform to assess new players ahead of more competitive fixtures later in the year. Nigeria will face Zimbabwe in the semi-final of the four-nation tournament at The Valley Stadium in London, with the winner progressing to the final against either Jamaica or India. While several established stars were omitted from the Unity Cup squad, many of them, including Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi, and Maduka Okoye, were named in a separate squad for Nigeria’s upcoming international friendlies against Poland and Portugal in June. The omission of Nwabali from the Unity Cup list has already sparked reactions among fans on social media, with many questioning Chelle’s decision to leave out the AFCON star goalkeeper.