Nigeria confirm Osimhen absence for opening AFCON 2027 qualifiers as striker continues recovery

Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen has been ruled out of this month's TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau because of injury.

The Nigeria Football Federation confirmed on Sunday that the 27-year-old will miss the matches on 25 and 29 September as he continues his recovery from a muscle problem.

Osimhen had been included in coach Eric Chelle's original squad despite suffering the injury while playing for Galatasaray against Başakşehir in the Turkish league.

The forward was forced off in the 33rd minute of that match, with subsequent medical examinations revealing a muscle strain and pain in his right thigh.

His recovery period was initially estimated at at least two weeks.

🏥 Victor Osimhen will miss Nigeria’s AFCON 2027 qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau as he continues to recover from a muscle strain.

We wish Victor a speedy recovery.#SoarSuperEagles pic.twitter.com/hBVB4aZZVP

— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) September 20, 2026

Osimhen's absence is a significant blow for Nigeria as they begin their qualifying campaign without one of their leading attacking players.

The former Napoli striker has scored 35 goals in 52 appearances for the Super Eagles since making his international debut in 2017.

It is also unclear whether he will recover in time for Nigeria's friendly against Russia on 6 October.

A decision on his availability for that match is expected to depend on the progress of his rehabilitation and when he is able to return to club action.