Super Eagles Open World Cup Playoff Camp on November 9 as Nathan Tella Races to Regain Fitness

The Super Eagles of Nigeria will open camp on Sunday, November 9, ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup playoff clash against the Panthers of Gabon.

The match will take place five days later, though the Confederation of African Football (CAF) is yet to announce the official venue.

Head coach Eric Chelle is expected to unveil his squad before the end of the month as the Super Eagles step up preparations for what could be a defining stage in their World Cup qualifying journey.

In the other semi-final pairing, Cameroon will go up against Gabon, with the overall winners moving on to the intercontinental playoffs in March, scheduled to hold in Mexico.

Meanwhile, there is some concern for Super Eagles winger Nathan Tella, who is still on the sidelines at Bayer Leverkusen. Manager Kasper Hjulmand confirmed that the Nigerian will not be available for Tuesday’s Champions League encounter against Paris Saint-Germain.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the game, Hjulmand said, “Nathan will not be involved tomorrow. He hasn’t returned to full training yet, but we expect him to rejoin the group next week.”

According to Bild, Tella is yet to resume full team training and continues to work individually as he recovers from a knee injury. The setback kept him out of Nigeria’s international fixtures this month after he was named in the provisional squad for September’s games against Rwanda and South Africa.

The winger, who came through Arsenal’s Hale End Academy and previously played for Southampton and Burnley, made his competitive debut for Nigeria in a World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe in November 2023 and later featured in the Unity Cup final against Jamaica.

Before picking up the injury, Tella had a strong start to the Bundesliga season, recording two assists in his first three appearances for Leverkusen.