Nigeria Coach Éric Chelle Arrives in Kigali with Six Players, Including Osimhen

Nigeria’s national team coach, Éric Sékou Chelle, arrived in Kigali on Sunday with his coaching staff and a few players, including star striker Victor Osimhen.

Nigeria is preparing for their crucial World Cup qualifier against Rwanda’s Amavubi, set for Friday, March 21, at Amahoro Stadium.

The coaching team arrived early in Rwanda, where they will be joined by players traveling from Europe as they finalize preparations for the match.

Among the players already in Kigali is Victor Osimhen, who plays for Galatasaray, the current leader of the Turkish Super Lig. Osimhen recently delivered a stellar performance, scoring a hat-trick in Galatasaray’s 4-0 win over Antalyaspor last Friday.

Other Nigerian players who arrived with Chelle include goalkeeper Kayode Bankole (Remo Stars) and midfielder Papa Daniel Mustapha (Niger Tornadoes).

Additionally, three players joined from foreign clubs: goalkeeper Amas Obasogie (Singida Black Stars, Tanzania), forward Tolu Arokodare (Belgium), and defender Bruno Onyemaechi (Olympiacos FC, Greece).

Nigeria currently sits fifth in Group C with three points from four matches, while Rwanda leads the group with seven points.

In their last two meetings during the 2025 AFCON qualifiers, Rwanda held Nigeria to a goalless draw in Kigali and later defeated them 2-1 in Nigeria last November.