Injury Concerns Mount For Nigeria As Onyedika, Dele-Bashiru Face Race Against Time

Nigeria’s build-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers has been overshadowed by fresh injury concerns, with Raphael Onyedika and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru both facing uncertainty over their fitness.

Onyedika, who has become an important figure in midfield for both Club Brugge and the Super Eagles, lasted just 16 minutes in Wednesday’s Belgian Pro League clash against Westerlo.

The 24-year-old pulled up clutching his hamstring before being forced to leave the pitch, leaving his club and country anxious about the extent of the damage.

The timing could not be worse for Nigeria. Head coach Eric Chelle is already sweating over the availability of Lazio’s Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, who sustained a muscle injury during the 1-0 defeat to Roma last weekend. His status for the qualifiers is still uncertain, adding to the coach’s selection headache.

The Super Eagles are due to host Lesotho before travelling to Cotonou to face Benin in back-to-back games that could shape their qualification campaign. Both fixtures demand a full-strength squad, but with two key midfielders in doubt, Chelle may have to reshuffle his plans.

It is not only the senior team feeling the sting of injuries. The Flying Eagles have also been hit by a major blow ahead of the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.

Defender Marvellous Freedom has been ruled out after suffering a knee injury in training this week. The Ikorodu City centre-back will not recover in time to feature in the tournament, a huge disappointment for the player and the squad.

In response, head coach Aliyu Zubairu has recalled Wikki Tourists defender Haruna Aliyu, who had originally been dropped just before the team’s departure. Aliyu is expected to join his teammates in Chile on Friday as the squad fine-tunes its preparations.

Nigeria will begin their U-20 World Cup campaign against Norway on Monday before taking on Colombia and Saudi Arabia in what looks set to be a challenging group stage.