Nigeria will play their upcoming international friendlies against Iran and Jordan in Antalya, Turkey, after a late venue change prompted by escalating conflict in the Middle East. The fixtures were originally scheduled for Amman, Jordan, as part of a four-team mini-tournament that was to include Costa Rica. With Costa Rica withdrawing and security concerns mounting, organisers opted to relocate and streamline the event.

The Super Eagles will now face Iran first, before taking on Jordan at the same Turkish base. Both matches are being treated by the Nigeria Football Federation as key tune‑ups for forthcoming competitive fixtures, offering head coach Eric Chelle a valuable opportunity to reshape his squad.

Chelle has named a 23-man list that is notable as much for who is missing as for who is included. Star forward Victor Osimhen, Nigeria’s leading active scorer, has been left out without any official explanation. The Galatasaray striker sits on 35 goals from 46 caps, just two shy of the long‑standing national record of 37 set by the late Rashidi Yekini, yet he will play no part in Antalya.

Yekini, remembered as “The Goals Father,” set his mark in 58 appearances and became a symbol of Nigeria’s golden era, scoring the country’s first World Cup goal at USA 94. Osimhen’s strike rate has invited constant comparison, and his absence inevitably fuels speculation over fitness, club commitments, or tactical recalibration by Chelle.

There is also change in goal. Stanley Nwabali, who emerged as first choice at the last Africa Cup of Nations, is omitted after leaving South African side Chippa United and finding himself without a club. In his place, Udinese’s Maduka Okoye returns to the fold, joined by Francis Uzoho and Volos FC’s Adeleye Adebayo. Adebayo benefits from the exclusion of Amas Obasogie, who has endured a turbulent spell marked by suspension and loss of form, despite being cleared of match‑fixing allegations at his Tanzanian club.

Midfield leadership will fall to captain Wilfred Ndidi, now with Besiktas, supported by Fulham’s Alex Iwobi and Club Brugge’s Raphael Onyedika. In attack, Ademola Lookman, Samuel Chukwueze and Paul Onuachu headline a group tasked with compensating for Osimhen’s firepower.

Chelle has also injected fresh blood, handing first senior call‑ups to Rangers defender Emmanuel Oluwasegun Fernandez, Hamburger SV forward Philip Otele and KRC Genk’s Collins Yira Sor, signalling a deliberate push toward renewal as Nigeria tests new combinations in Turkey.