ICYMI: 16 Nigerian Players at the 2026 World Cup
Nigeria will not play at the 2026 World Cup, but roughly sixteen players of Nigerian heritage will. Scattered across nine national squads at the 48-team tournament, which began on June 11 in the United States, Mexico and Canada, they range from England’s Bukayo Saka to Canada’s Owen Goodman.
The Super Eagles missed out after a penalty-shootout defeat to DR Congo in the African playoff, a second straight World Cup absence. Most of the sixteen were born abroad, to Nigerian parents who carried the country with them; a few were born in Nigeria itself. All were eligible, at some point, for the Super Eagles.
Here is the full list, with the story behind each name.
Bukayo Saka — Arsenal, age 24, forward
Born in Ealing, west London, to Nigerian parents, full name Bukayo Moses Temidayo Saka. He grew up watching both Arsenal and the Super Eagles, then became one of the most consistent attackers in the Premier League. Saka made his England debut in October 2020, scored at the 2022 World Cup, and became Arsenal’s all-time leading scorer for England with a goal against Switzerland at Euro 2024. The Nigeria Football Federation tracked him closely before he committed, and he has never been dismissive about it: he has said he still watches Nigeria’s games and wishes them well. He arrives in North America as one of England’s most important players.
Eberechi Eze — Arsenal, age 27, attacking midfielder
Born in Greenwich, south London, to Nigerian parents of Igbo descent. His route to the top was the long way round, rejected by several academies before he forced his way through. Eze made his senior England debut in 2023 and has become a fixture, scoring his first international goal in a 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Latvia in March 2025. The Nigerian eligibility was always live: as a younger player, he attended a Nigerian youth training camp before deciding his future lay with England.
Noni Madueke — Arsenal, age 24, winger
Full name Chukwunonso Azuka Tristan Madueke, born in Barnet, north London, to Nigerian parents, also of Igbo heritage. His father, Ifeanyi Madueke, worked in football talent scouting and is widely credited with instilling the self-belief that took his son abroad early; Madueke left for PSV Eindhoven as a teenager rather than wait in an English academy queue. A two-time England youth champion and part of the U21 European Championship-winning squad, he earned his senior caps before this World Cup call. The NFF knew about him. England’s youth system simply had him first and held on.
GERMANY
Jamal Musiala — Bayern Munich, age 23, attacking midfielder
Born in Stuttgart to a British-Nigerian father and a German mother, which made him eligible for three nations and the subject of one of the most contested allegiance decisions of his generation. He represented England at several youth levels before committing to Germany in 2021, and has since become, by common consent, one of the best attacking midfielders in the world. By his own account, Nigeria was a real consideration: he had talks with both federations and, in the end, chose where he felt most comfortable. He is now Germany’s most important attacking player.
Felix Nmecha — Borussia Dortmund, age 25, midfielder
Full name Felix Kalu Nmecha, born in Hamburg to a Nigerian father, Kalu Nmecha, and a German mother. The family moved to England in 2007, where Felix and his older brother Lukas came through Manchester City’s academy. He represented both England and Germany at youth level before taking his first senior Germany call in March 2023, and did enough to make Julian Nagelsmann’s 2026 squad. He has spoken with real warmth about his Igbo roots, noting the rarity of two Igbo players, himself and Carney Chukwuemeka, turning out for Dortmund at the same time.
SWITZERLAND
Manuel Akanji — Inter Milan, age 30, defender
Full name Manuel Obafemi Akanji, born in Wiesendangen, Switzerland, to a Nigerian father, Abimbola, a finance professional and amateur footballer, and a Swiss mother, Isabel, a former tennis player. His middle name, Obafemi, is Yoruba for “the king loves me.” One of the most experienced defenders in the entire tournament, with four World Cups and two European Championships behind him, Akanji has never hidden the connection: he carries a tattoo of the Super Eagles crest, the eagle with a football beneath it, on his left arm.
Noah Okafor — Leeds United, age 25, forward
Full name Noah Arinzechukwu Okafor, born in Binningen, Switzerland, to a Nigerian father, Christian Okafor, and a Swiss mother, Karla. His middle name, Arinzechukwu, means “God has done his work” in Igbo. A Switzerland regular since 2019, Okafor brings big-tournament experience to the squad. His Super Eagles eligibility through his father was never in doubt; Switzerland’s youth pathway reached him first.
AUSTRIA
David Alaba — Real Madrid, age 33, defender
Full name David Olatokunbo Alaba, born in Vienna to a Nigerian father, George Alaba, and a Filipino mother, and sometimes described as a crown prince of Ogun State. One of the most decorated players on this entire list, he debuted for Austria at 17 and has captained the side for over a decade. Injury kept him out of Euro 2024, where he was named non-playing captain out of respect; now fit, he leads Austria’s first World Cup campaign since 1998. He has always acknowledged both sides of his heritage, once flying a combined Nigerian, Filipino and Austrian flag after a Champions League win.
Carney Chukwuemeka — Borussia Dortmund, age 22, midfielder
Chukwuemeka was born in Eisenstadt, Austria, to Nigerian parents, before moving to Northampton in England as a child. For Nigerian fans, this is among the most painful entries on the list. He won 25 England youth caps, including the U19 European Championship, but no senior England call ever came. FIFA approved his switch to Austria in March 2026, and he had two senior appearances before the World Cup. The NFF was at the forefront of courting him. The decisive factor was simple arithmetic. Austria offered a World Cup when Nigeria could not.
FRANCE
Michael Olise — Bayern Munich, age 24, winger
Full name Michael Akpovie Olise, born in Hammersmith, London, to a British-Nigerian father and a Franco-Algerian mother, which left him eligible for France, England, Algeria and Nigeria. He chose Les Bleus, making his senior France debut in September 2024 after starring at the 2024 Olympics. The Nigerian eligibility through his father was always real, but the pull of France through his mother’s side was always stronger. He now has the platform to be one of France’s most decisive attackers in North America.
NORWAY
Antonio Nusa — RB Leipzig, age 21, winger
Full name Antonio Eromonsele Nordby Nusa, born in Langhus, Norway, to a Nigerian father and a Norwegian mother, and holding dual citizenship. His surname comes from Nigeria’s Benin Kingdom and carries the meaning “what God says will come to pass.” A Norway regular since 2023 and one of the most anticipated young players at the tournament, he will play on the biggest stage for the first time at 21. The dual nationality gave the NFF a genuine claim, but Norway integrated him young, and there is no record of a formal Nigerian approach.
UNITED STATES
Folarin Balogun — AS Monaco, age 24, striker
Full name Folarin Jolaoluwa Jerry Balogun, born in Brooklyn, New York, to Nigerian parents, then raised in London after the family moved when he was a month old. Eligible for the United States, England and Nigeria, he chose the USMNT in May 2023 after FIFA approved a one-time switch, debuting in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal against Mexico and scoring in the final against Canada. He is now the host nation’s undisputed first-choice striker. He was eligible for Nigeria; he cited the encouragement of Nigerian-American fans as part of what tilted him toward the Stars and Stripes.
CANADA
Tani Oluwaseyi — Villarreal, age 25, forward
Born in Abuja, Nigeria, before emigrating to Mississauga, Ontario, at the age of 10. Of all sixteen, his Nigerian start was among the most direct: a decade of his childhood was Nigerian before Canada’s football culture absorbed him. He became cap-tied to Canada at the 2024 Copa América and is now one of the forwards competing for minutes alongside Jonathan David, offering pace, athleticism and a long-range threat.
Promise David — Royal Union Saint-Gilloise, age 24, striker
Full name Promise Oluwatobi Emmanuel David Akinpelu, born in Brampton, Ontario, to Nigerian immigrant parents, Solomon and Anna. He goes by Tobi, from his Yoruba middle name Oluwatobi, and lived in Nigeria for several years as a child. This is a near-miss that went further than most: he actually played for Nigeria’s U-23 side in October 2022 before FIFA approved his switch to Canada in February 2025. He made his senior Canada debut in June 2025, scoring in a 4-2 win over Ukraine, and has three goals in barely 200 international minutes. His own explanation was blunt: Canadian football raised him, and he felt he owed it back.
Owen Goodman — Crystal Palace, age 22, goalkeeper
Born in Canada to a Nigerian mother and an English father, eligible for Nigeria, England or Canada. Of every name here, his loss may sting Nigeria most, because he fills the one position the Super Eagles have struggled to settle for years. Nigeria spotted him early and invited him to the Flying Eagles setup ahead of the 2023 U-20 World Cup; officials stayed in contact, and he even held discussions with them. Canada moved more decisively. He is behind Maxime Crépeau and Dayne St. Clair in the pecking order for now, but is widely seen as a future Canada No. 1.
SOUTH AFRICA
Ime Okon — Hannover 96, age 21, defender
Born to a Nigerian father and a South African mother, raised mainly in South Africa and developed through its youth system. He earned his senior call-up for the 2026 tournament, part of Hugo Broos’ squad for South Africa’s first World Cup appearance since 2010. No NFF approach has been reported; his South African upbringing and youth career pointed his international future one way from the start.
The 2026 World Cup runs to July 19 across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
