Osimhen, Lookman & six EPL players lead Super Eagles; Onana, Aboubakar & Mbeumo in Cameroon squad

The transfer window has just ended, but numerous players who changed their ranks won't get a chance to spend some time with their new teammates. On the contrary, they'll be surrounded by the ones they know very well, as the international break is back!

Earlier today, Nigeria and Cameroon bosses, Eric Chelle and Marc Brys, announced squads for the upcoming clashes in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

When it comes to the Super Eagles team, there are no surprises. Galatasaray's Victor Osimhen and (still) Atalanta's Ademola Lookman lead Chelle's team, in which the Malian tactician included as many as six Premier League players - Ola Aina (Nottingham Forest), Calvin Bassey (Fulham), Alex Iwobi (Fulham), and Frank Onyeka (Brentford), who are veteran EPL players, and the two newcomers Samuel Chukwueze (Fulham) and Tolu Arokodare (Wolverhampton), who arrived just a few days ago.

Auba-less Gabon thrash poor Seychelles in Harambee Stars' WC qualifying group

Nigeria are only fourth in their qualifying Group C and have to beat the second-placed Rwanda on the road (September 6, 19.00) and table-toppers South Africa in Bloemfontein three days later (19.00).

On the other hand, Brys opted for experienced and reliable players for the duels against teams from the bottom and top of Group D - Eswatini (September 4, 22.00) at home and Cape Verde (September 9, 19.00) on the road.

Therefore, there are, as the most renowned names, Man United's Andre Onana, Frank Anguissa of Napoli, Brighton's Carlos Baleba, and a trio of forwards who send shivers down rivals' spines: Man United's Bryan Mbeumo, former Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich striker, currently playing for New York Red Bulls, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, and the captain, Vincent Aboubakar of the Turkish side Hatayspor.

2026 FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS - AFRICA

Wednesday

Seychelles - Gabon 0-4 (0-3)

/Bouanga 4, 34, 38, M'Bemba 89/

Thursday

16.00: (19.0) Chad (9.50) Ghana (1.12)

19.00: (1.67) Angola (3.50) Libya (5.90)

19.00: (2.10) Guinea-Bissau (3.30) Sierra Leone (3.70)

19.00: (2.20) Madagascar (3.25) Central African Republic (3.45)

19.00: (7.25) Mauritius (3.60) Cape Verde (1.57)

19.00: (12.0) Sao Tome (5.60) Equatorial Guinea (1.27)

22.00: (1.20) Algeria (6.50) Botswana (16.0)

22.00: (1.17) Cameroon (7.25) Eswatini (17.0)

22.00: (1.37) Mali (4.50) Comoros (10.0)

22.00: (1.25) Tunisia (5.70) Liberia (13.0)

Friday

15.00: (15.0) Somalia (5.90) Guinea (1.23)

15.00: (9.00) South Sudan (4.40) DR Congo (1.40)

16.00: (2.65) Kenya (3.05) Gambia (2.90)

19.00: (1.85) Benin (3.45) Zimbabwe (4.50)

19.00: (22.0) Djibouti (10.5) Burkina Faso (1.10)

19.00: (8.00) Lesotho (4.20) South Africa (1.45)

22.00: (1.20) Egypt (6.50) Ethiopia (16.0)

22.00: (1.17) Ivory Coast (7.25) Burundi (17.0)

22.00: (3.00) Mauritania (3.05) Togo (2.55)

22.00: (1.10) Morocco (11.0) Niger (18.0)

22.00: (1.30) Senegal (5.20) Sudan (11.0)

Saturday

19.00: (1.37) Nigeria (4.50) Rwanda (10.00)

***odds are subject to change***