Nigeria’s home-based senior men’s national team, Super Eagles B, will kick off their 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN) campaign on Tuesday with a high-stakes clash against title holders Senegal in the opening Group B match.
The 8th edition of CHAN—reserved exclusively for players active in their domestic leagues—got underway on Saturday across joint hosts Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda, and will run through August 30.
This marks Nigeria’s fourth appearance at the tournament, but the team is still chasing its first title. Their best finishes came in 2014 when they won bronze, and in 2018 when they were runners-up. However, the team failed to qualify for the last two editions before securing a return this year by defeating Ghana 3-0 on aggregate in the qualifiers.
Nigeria have been drawn in Group B alongside formidable opponents: Senegal, Sudan, and Congo. Tuesday’s encounter at the Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar will be crucial for setting the tone in a group where every point will be hard-fought.
Franco-Malian tactician Eric Chelle, who leads the Super Eagles B squad, has expressed confidence in his 23-man team following an intensive build-up. The squad spent three weeks in a closed training camp in Ikenne-Remo, Ogun State, followed by 10 days of final preparation in Zanzibar.
During the preparation phase, Nigeria won all three warm-up matches in Ikenne and played two friendlies against Zanzibar, drawing both (0-0 and 2-2), providing Chelle with ample opportunity to assess his players.
The squad is built around key performers from the qualifiers, including goalkeeper Ozoemena Ani, defenders Sodiq Ismaila and Junior Nduka, midfielder Alex Oyowah, and attackers Anas Yusuf and Sikiru Alimi. The team has also been bolstered with fresh talent such as Steven Mayo and Leonard Ngenge in defence, Adedayo Olamilekan, Hadi Haruna, and Michael Tochukwu in midfield, and forwards Temitope Vincent, Shola Adelani, and Godwin Obaje.
Chelle is aiming for maximum points against Senegal to boost Nigeria’s confidence before facing Sudan and Congo in subsequent group matches.
Elsewhere in the tournament, co-hosts Tanzania made a bright start with a 2-0 win over Burkina Faso in their Group B opener on Saturday at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
With expectations high and competition fierce, Nigeria will hope to begin their 2025 CHAN journey on a winning note and take a significant step towards their long-awaited first continental triumph in the competition.
