Coventry City forward Taiwo Awoniyi has been called up to replace Victor Osimhen in Nigeria’s squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.
The Nigeria Football Federation announced the change on Sunday via the official Super Eagles X account, welcoming Awoniyi back to the national team.
Awoniyi, 29, recently joined newly promoted Coventry City from Nottingham Forest in a transfer reportedly worth £9 million. His call-up comes after Osimhen, who now plays for Galatasaray, was forced to withdraw from the squad due to a right adductor muscle strain. The injury was initially expected to heal ahead of the September international window, and Osimhen had been named in coach Eric Chelle’s provisional squad in the hope he would regain full fitness.
However, Osimhen’s recovery has taken longer than anticipated. He missed Galatasaray’s Turkish Süper Lig match against Trabzonspor on September 19—a fixture viewed as a key fitness test by both club and country.
Nigeria will face Madagascar on September 25 and Guinea-Bissau on September 29 in their AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign. The Super Eagles are also set to play an international friendly against Russia on October 6, though Awoniyi’s inclusion is specifically for the two AFCON qualifiers.
