Victor Osimhen, Maduka Okoye and Kelechi Iheanacho were missing as Nigeria coach Eric Chelle named his 24-man squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header against Tanzania's Taifa Stars this month.
Osimhen, who missed the opening window in September, had surgery on Nov. 7 and although Galatasaray have not put a timeline on his return, is expected to be out for a couple of weeks.
Okoye's absence is only slightly more mystifying than Iheanacho's. The goalkeeper was left out, and in his place, Chelle has recalled Francis Uzoho.
Iheanacho scored in his last game for Nigeria, but neither that, nor his incandescent form in the Turkish second tier, where he has 17 goals and three assists in 14 games, have been enough to earn him a recall to the main squad.
The team, as usual, will be led by captain Wilfred Ndidi, and includes defenders Calvin Bassey and Semi Ajayi, midfielders Alex Iwobi and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, and forwards Moses Simon, Ademola Lookman and Akor Adams.
Back after his injury layoff and impressive outing in the last window is defender Benjamin Fredrick, along with fellow youngster Tochukwu Nnadi, while Coventry City's Taiwo Awoniyi keeps his place from the last squad.
Also on the list are goalkeepers Stanley Nwabali and Arthur Okonkwo, defenders Ola Aina, midfielder Samson Tijani, and forward Moses Usor.
Turkiye-based defender Chibuike Nwaiwu and Czechia-based wing-back Abdullahi Bewene are also called.
The Super Eagles host tournament joint-hosts Tanzania at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Friday Nov. 13, before flying out for the return against the Taifa Stars at Zanzibar's Amman Stadium on Tuesday Nov. 17.
Nigeria currently sit second in Group L, with only one qualifying place available from the group.
Who can replace Osimhen's influence?
For the second consecutive qualifying window, Nigeria's record-chasing star striker will not be involved with the Super Eagles.
Osimhen's absence has multi-layered implications for both striker and team. From a personal perspective, Osimhen's race to catch up to, and even overtake Rashidi Yekini's goalscoring record, will have to stay on pause for a wee while longer.
His absence is even more telling on a team level. Since making his international debut, Nigeria's results show the size of the gap when he is absent. Counting through to September's AFCON qualifiers, the Super Eagles have won 29 of the 51 matches in which he played, scoring 94 goals, compared with 25 wins and 79 goals in 62 games without him.
That brings Nigeria to a win percentage of 56.9% with the forward. Without him, that number drops to 40.3%, while their scoring average falls from 1.84 goals per game with Osimhen to 1.27 without him.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying put that difference in very stark relief: Nigeria won five and drew two with Osimhen, scoring 15 goals, for a 71.4% win rate and no defeats. Without him, they recorded four draws and one defeat, scoring five goals, for a 0% win rate and a 20% loss rate.
Even though AFCON qualifying presents a more mixed picture, it is barely more palatable, especially in the goals and win-loss columns. Since 2017, when Osimhen became involved in qualifying, Nigeria have averaged 2.56 goals with him against 1.89 without him.
They won 10 games, drew 3 and lost 3 with him while going 6-2-1 without him. That much was clear in September's games, as the Super Eagles, sans Osimhen, were completely blown to bits in a 0-3 loss after squeaking to a 2-1 win a few days earlier against Madagascar.
The question for Eric Chelle becomes who steps up? Nigeria's next highest international goalscorer is Kelechi Iheanacho, with 15 goals but he has not been called up despite his red hot form in Turkiye.
That may have something to do with his international goals to games ratio of 0.25, where he is not only way behind Osimhen's 0.69, but is also behind Akor Adams (0.39) and Terem Moffi (0.26) after over 50 games.
Chelle may have to look to Ademola Lookman, despite his indifferent form with Atletico Madrid, and Tolu Arokodare, who appears to have rediscovered himself in the Eredivisie with Ajax Amsterdam.
But the real issue for Chelle, though, must be when he starts to think long term about game-planning without his most efficient and productive forward.
Is it over for Maduka Okoye?
From one end of the pitch to the other. Okoye has enjoyed a love-hate relationship with the national team and the fans: He came in as a fan favourite, then was vilified for the Super Eagles 2021 AFCON loss to Tunisia, and then back to being somewhat loved again when Stanley Nwabali took time off football.
Although there is no official reason given for his exclusion, there are rumblings that his late arrival to camp in September is one reason, when he was allowed one day off to participate in a pre-scheduled club activity but ended up taking an extra day and only arrived on the eve of the game.
It would not be the first time Okoye has reported late to camp, and the general understanding is that Chelle has lost patience with the Udinese goalkeeper. What is not in doubt, however, is that Okoye's here today, gone tomorrow presence is not helping his cause.
So, with Nwabali's return, coupled with the emergence of Arthur Okonkwo, Chelle may have decided to move on.
Opportunities for young players
With this squad composition, Chelle continues to put his focus on young players. This is the second youngest competitive squad named by the Malian, with an average age of 26.8, second only to the squad he named in March 2025 group with an average age of 26.5.
The difference is that while that first squad had no players under 22, the latest selection gives younger prospects more places alongside established internationals. The seven players under 25 named are his highest total for a competitive assignment since taking charge.
That number includes three players under 22 and one teenager, 19-year-old Mubarak Suleiman. This is more than the totals in each of his previous competitive squads.
By comparison, his squad for September's opening qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau contained six players under 25 and two under 22, with no teenagers. His final squad for the 2025 AFCON had six under 25, but only one under 22.
Nigeria's Super Eagles squad
Goalkeepers: Arthur Okonkwo (Charlton Athletic, England); Francis Uzoho (Omonia FC, Cyprus); Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United, South Africa)
Defenders: Bruno Onyemaechi (Olympiakos, Greece); Olaoluwa Aina (Nottingham Forest, England); Benjamin Fredricks (Brentford FC, England); Oluwasemilogo Ajayi (Hull City, England); Calvin Bassey (Fulham FC, England); Chibuike Nwaiwu (Trabzonspor FC, Turkey); Bright Osayi-Samuel (Birmingham FC, England); Abdullahi Bewene (Banik Ostrava, Czechia)
Midfielders: Wilfred Ndidi (Besiktas FC, Turkey); Alex Iwobi (Fulham FC, England); Alhassan Yusuf (New England Revolution, USA); Tochukwu Nnadi (Olympic Marseille, France); Samson Tijani (FK Podbrezova, Slovakia); Fisayo Dele-Bashiru (SS Lazio, Italy); Mubarak Suleiman (SK Slavia Prague, Czechia)
Forwards: Moses Simon (Paris FC, France); Taiwo Awoniyi (Coventry City, England); Akor Adams (Venezia FC, Italy); Ademola Lookman (Atletico Madrid, Spain); Tolu Arokodare (Ajax FC, The Netherlands); Moses Usor (LASK FC, Austria)