Captain William Ekong, Bruno Onyemaechi and goalkeeper Amas Obasogie are the early arrivals at the Super Eagles training camp in Uyo on Monday ahead of Saturday’s World Cup showdown against Rwanda.
The three Super Eagles players checked into the Four Points by Sheraton hotel in the morning, with Troost-Ekong and Obasogie arriving together before Onyemaechi joined them later.
More members of the 23-man squad, invited by head coach Eric Chelle, are expected to arrive throughout the day.
The Super Eagles will hold their first official training session on Tuesday at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium’s practice pitch.
Meanwhile, Rwanda’s team will make their way to Nigeria later in the week.
“A one-man advance party will be in Lagos on Monday, but the full delegation will make landfall in Lagos on Tuesday aboard a Rwanda Airlines flight at 1.15 pm, and will proceed to Uyo, capital of Akwa Ibom State, by 4 pm of the same day,” confirmed a statement by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
The stakes are high in Group H, where South Africa currently leads with 13 points, pending FIFA’s ruling on an ineligible player in their win over Lesotho in March.
Rwanda and the Benin Republic are tied on eight points, while Nigeria sits fourth with seven. Zimbabwe and Lesotho trail with four and six points, respectively.
The upcoming fixtures are crucial. The Super Eagles will face Rwanda at home before travelling to Bloemfontein to confront group leaders South Africa.
In October, the Super Eagles have World Cup qualifiers matches against Lesotho away and the Benin Republic at home.
However, there are serious concerns that several players may be delayed as they try to sort out their transfers across Europe.
The players include Ademola Lookman, Cyriel Dessers, Tolu Arokodare, Chrisantus Uche and Samuel Chukwueze.
Fourth-placed Nigeria need to win their forthcoming qualifiers against Rwanda and South Africa to stand any chance of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup to be hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico.
