After nearly a decade out in the cold, Nigeria’s Olympic Eagles are plotting a big comeback, and it all starts with 31 home boys in Ijebu-Ode.

So, the road to Los Angeles 2028 is officially on.

Head coach Eric Chelle has just thrown the doors open for the home-based lads, inviting 31 players from across the NPFL to the Olympic Eagles camp as Nigeria gear up for a crucial U23 AFCON qualifier against DR Congo.

This is the human story here, no big-money foreign stars yet. It’s your Rivers United, Rangers, Enyimba, Sporting Lagos boys getting a proper shot at the badge. Four goalkeepers, nine defenders, eight midfielders and ten forwards are expected to report at the AM2PM Hotel, Ijebu-Ode on Sunday, 25 October.

Nigeria have not kicked a ball in men’s Olympic football since that heroic bronze in Rio 2016. That’s a 10-year absence for a country that gave the world the ultimate underdog story, gold at Atlanta ’96, silver at Beijing 2008. For a generation of NPFL talent, LA 2028 is not just a tournament, it’s a lifeline to the global stage.

Here is how it works. This tie is the second round of U23 AFCON qualifying. Nigeria got a bye, while DR Congo had to knock out Mauritania to get here.

It’s two legs:

First leg: Away in Lubumbashi at the TP Mazembe Stadium, Friday, 13 November.

Second leg: Home at Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne-Remo, Tuesday, 17 November.

Win on aggregate, and Nigeria go into the final qualifying round for the U23 AFCON in Egypt next year. That tournament in Egypt is what decides Africa’s tickets to the LA Olympics.

Chelle has to trim and sharpen this squad fast. Eyes will be on Sporting Lagos, who have six players in, the most of any club, plus in-form forwards like Williams Wonah and Timothy Zechariah [Rivers United].[Enyimba]

If these home-based Eagles can get past Congo, the dream of seeing Nigeria back at the Olympics stops being nostalgia and starts feeling real.

Source: cbinews.tv

#OlympicEagles #TeamNigeria #LA2028 #U23AFCON #NPFL #SuperEagles #NigeriaFootball #cbinewstv