Olympic Eagles battle Congo in qualifiers

Nigeria’s Olympic Eagles face the Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday (today) in the first leg of their second-round qualifier for the 2027 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations, the first step in their bid to end a long absence from the Olympic Games, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The match is at the TP Mazembe Stadium in Lubumbashi, with a 2 pm Nigerian time kick-off reported, and it will be played behind closed doors on security grounds.

The return leg is at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne on Tuesday, November 17.

All 23 invited players and officials arrived in Lubumbashi on Wednesday and trained that afternoon. They will hold a second and final session on Thursday at the TP Mazembe Stadium from 3 pm local time, 2 pm Nigerian time, for two hours.

Head coach Éric Chelle will not be on the touchline, as he is with the Super Eagles in Uyo for their qualifier against Tanzania. Assistants Deniran Ortega and Bright Ozebagbe are in charge.

• ‘Okoye not to blame for Udinese struggles’
• Olympic Eagles step up prep in Congo ahead qualifier
• Who is Eagles’ new boy Suleiman Mubarak?

The squad has eight home-based and 15 foreign-based players. Players to watch include Molde midfielder Daniel Daga, Brighton’s Zadok Yohanna, Basel defender Victory Akpe and goalkeeper Michael Atata.

Nigeria received a bye into the second round, so this is their first match of the campaign. DR Congo, coached by Guy Bukasa, beat Mauritania 2-1 on aggregate, losing the first leg 1-0 away before winning the return 2-0 in Lubumbashi through goals from Filozofe Mabete and Candidat Mapendo.

The winner over two legs reaches the final qualifying round in March 2027 against either Burkina Faso or Sierra Leone. The finals take place in Egypt in November 2027 and double as Africa’s qualifying competition for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, where only the two finalists will earn places.

Nigeria last played at the Olympics in 2016, winning bronze, and missed the 2020 and 2024 editions. They won gold in 1996 and silver in 2008.

All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.