Brighton and Hove Albion winger, Zadok Yohanna, will lead Nigeria's Under-23 squad against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) as the Olympic Eagles begin their campaign to return to the Olympic Games after a 12-year absence.
Coach Eric Chelle has named the 19-year-old in a 23-man squad for the two-legged second-round qualifying tie for the 2027 Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations, with Fulham midfielder Chibuzo Nwoko also included.
Nigeria will travel to Lubumbashi for the first leg on November 13 before hosting DR Congo in the return fixture at Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne, on November 17.
Victory over DR Congo will take the Olympic Eagles into the final qualifying round in March, where seven African places at the 2027 tournament in Egypt will be decided alongside the hosts.
The competition will serve as Africa's qualification pathway to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Yohanna's inclusion highlights the growing influence of Nigeria's young players developing in European leagues.
The winger joined Brighton from Swedish club AIK Stockholm in June on a five-year contract after an impressive spell in Sweden, where he recorded five goals and four assists in 18 league and cup appearances.
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He previously attracted attention from the senior national team and received his first Super Eagles invitation for the Unity Cup in May.
However, he missed the tournament after AIK declined to release him, explaining that the player was recovering from an injury and was in the final stages of rehabilitation.
Nwoko is another notable inclusion, having already made his senior international debut under Chelle.
The 20-year-old Fulham midfielder, popularly known as Chibby, started Nigeria's 3-3 friendly draw against Russia in Nizhny Novgorod last month and played for 83 minutes before being replaced by Vince Osuji, who is also in the Olympic Eagles squad.
Nwoko previously featured in Chelsea's youth system before moving to Fulham, while a loan spell at Forest Green Rovers in January gave him experience outside academy football.
Several other members of the squad also featured in the Russia friendly, including goalkeeper Samuel James and midfielders Aderemi Adeoye and Wilfred George Igor.
Osuji, Umar Abubakar, Abdullahi Umar and Peter Edokpolor also featured in the match as substitutes. Edokpolor scored Nigeria's second goal during the comeback from a 3-1 deficit.
The squad also includes players with experience in Nigeria's youth national teams. Molde midfielder Daniel Daga was part of the Flying Eagles squad that reached the quarter-finals of the 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, while Sporting Supreme forward Abdulmuiz
Adeleke featured at the 2024 WAFU B Under-17 Championship, scoring twice against Togo.
Nigeria are seeking a return to Olympic men's football after missing the last two editions.
The country won bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics, having previously claimed gold at Atlanta 1996 and silver at Beijing 2008.
Nigeria remain Africa's most successful men's football team at the Olympic Games.
The seven home-based players in Chelle's squad are expected to depart on Tuesday ahead of the first leg at Stade TP Mazembe in Lubumbashi.
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