Victor Osimhen has been ruled out of Nigeria’s opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau after his recovery from a right adductor muscle strain took longer than expected.
The update was provided on Saturday by Super Eagles media officer Promise Efoghe, ending hopes that the Galatasaray striker would recover in time to join Nigeria for the international window.
Osimhen had been included in the Super Eagles squad because Galatasaray and Nigeria’s technical staff believed he could regain full fitness before the club’s Super Lig meeting with Trabzonspor on September 19.
That fixture was regarded by officials from both Galatasaray and Nigeria as an important test of the 26-year-old’s fitness. However, Osimhen was not available for the match, confirming that his rehabilitation remains incomplete.
“Victor Osimhen’s recovery from a muscle strain has been slower than expected,” Efoghe said in his report.
“He was included in Nigeria’s squad for the AFCON qualifiers because Galatasaray and Super Eagles technical crew were hopeful he would be fit for the Super Lig game versus Trabzonspor and ready for the international window.
“But his absence from tonight’s match confirms Galatasaray’s correspondence to Super Eagles manager Eric Chelle that the striker is still recovering and will not be ready for Nigeria’s matches.”
Nigeria will begin their qualifying campaign against Madagascar on September 25 before meeting Guinea-Bissau on September 29.
Osimhen has made four league appearances for Galatasaray this season, scoring six goals and providing two assists.
His absence leaves Nigeria without one of their principal attacking options for the opening two fixtures of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying schedule.
The striker was selected despite his injury because of the expectation that he would be available by the start of the international break. His failure to feature against Trabzonspor has now delayed that return and means he will not be ready for either of the Super Eagles’ matches.
The report also confirms that Galatasaray had communicated Osimhen’s condition to Nigeria manager Eric Chelle before the international fixtures. That correspondence indicated that the forward was still recovering from the muscle strain and would not be fit to represent his country in the two qualifiers.