Recovering Osimhen gets Eagles invite for AFCON qualifiers - Punch Newspapers
Galatasaray have received the formal invitation for Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen to join Nigeria for the country’s opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, according to Galatasaray insider Ali Naci Küçük. The development comes as Nigeria prepare for their first AFCON qualifying matches since missing out on the 2026 World Cup and finishing third at the 2025 AFCON. The invitation places Osimhen in the national team selection process, though there is no confirmation yet that he will play, with his fitness set to determine whether he can join Eric Chelle’s squad. Osimhen sustained a right groin injury during Galatasaray’s 3-2 win over İstanbul Başakşehir on September 4, having scored after 16 minutes before he was substituted in the 33rd minute. Galatasaray later confirmed that medical tests showed a moderate-to-advanced level strain with bleeding in the right groin area, adding that treatment had begun and that the striker was expected to return after the international break, an update that initially appeared to rule him out of Nigeria’s September fixtures. Akinsanmiro targets Monza success Arokodare hands Chelle fresh selection dilemma Morning recap: Wike, APC govs clash over Rainbow Coalition, Lagos-Ibadan motorists trapped in 14-hour gridlock, other top stories However, the picture has since become less clear, with Küçük reporting that Galatasaray expect Osimhen to travel with the team for their league match away to Trabzonspor, and that the striker could feature if needed, though he stopped short of predicting a starting role. That match could provide an important test of Osimhen’s fitness before Nigeria’s qualifiers. Nigeria will host Madagascar at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on September 25, before travelling to face Guinea-Bissau four days later. The matches form part of Group L, which also contains Tanzania, one of the AFCON 2027 co-hosts with automatic qualification, adding further importance to the race for the other teams in the group. Chelle now faces two separate decisions: whether Osimhen is fit enough to join the squad and, if cleared, whether he can handle competitive football so soon after the injury. Peter Akinbo Peter, who has been covering sports for PUNCH for close to two years, focuses on combat sports reporting, special features and human angle stories
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