Victor Osimhen to miss Nigeria's crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers

The 2023 African Player of the Year winner is replaced with a defensive option

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations finalists are in sound trouble. Their mercurial forward Victor Osimhen is sidelined for a month.

The Nigeria national football team earned worldwide attention after reaching the 2023 AFCON finals held in Côte d’Ivoire. They had an amazing journey, cruising from the group stage on the back of two wins and a draw. In the Round of 16, we saw them beat Cameroon by two goals to nil.

Then in the quarter-finals as well, they kept their winning run intact along with a clean sheet, winning 1-0 against Angola. After a penalty shootout win over South Africa in the semi-finals, they eventually met their group stage opponents Ivory Coast, the tournament hosts in the finals.

Even though the Super Eagles went ahead in the first half thanks to goal from William Troost-Ekong, by the final whistle they lost 2-1 to the Côte d’Ivoire nation.

A certain Napoli forward was a key part of the run to the finals. Victor Osimhen started every game for his national side, Nigeria, and was present in almost every minute of their journey on the pitch. Osimhen scored a goal while laying a total of three assists as well.

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The Super Eagles’ head coach Finidi George further included him in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers squad for June. But guess what? Untimely things do happen.

The 2023 African Player of the Year winner has been ruled out for four weeks due to injury. He is set to miss the qualifiers against South Africa and Benin. George was super quick in recalibrating his squad requirements and found a replacement in the blink of an eye.

He has gone with a defensive option in the name of Kenneth Igboke. Igboke plays as a left-back for Enugu Rangers, a side that plays in the first tier of Nigerian football.

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