Super Falcons interim coach Austin Eguavoen has been forced to reshuffle his squad ahead of Nigeria’s 2028 Olympic qualifiers against Comoros following the withdrawals of several players, including Asisat Oshoala and Ashleigh Plumptre.
The Nigeria Football Federation confirmed on Wednesday that Plumptre asked to be excused from the squad because of a ligament injury, while Oshoala also requested permission to withdraw without the federation giving a reason.
Plumptre had been recalled after missing the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations through injury.
The squad has been further depleted by the unavailability of Benfica defender Oluwatosin Demehin and forward Flourish Sabastine, who are dealing with residency permit issues in Portugal.
Eguavoen has responded by inviting MK Dons Women captain Favour Omenazu and Belarus-based forward Blessing Okpe as replacements.
The call-up gives Omenazu an opportunity to make her senior international debut, while Okpe returns to the national team setup after previously representing Nigeria at the 2022 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup.
The 22-year-old former Rivers Angels forward has also been in good scoring form for Dnepr Mogilev in Belarus after joining the club from Dinamo Minsk in April.
Eguavoen has also released Oluwakemi Adegbuyi and Favour Nkwocha to join Nigeria’s Under-17 women’s team ahead of the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
Adegbuyi was named the most valuable player at the recent WAFU-B Under-17 Girls Cup, while Nkwocha featured for Nigeria at the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland.
The latest changes leave Eguavoen with little time to settle his squad before the first leg against Comoros on Friday at the Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne.
Both legs of the second-round tie will be played at the venue because Comoros does not have a CAF-approved stadium for international matches. The return leg is scheduled for October 13.
Nigeria received a bye into the second round after being ranked among Africa’s three highest-ranked teams in the competition, while Comoros advanced after beating Sudan 30-0 on aggregate in the opening round.
The Falcons are seeking consecutive Olympic appearances after returning to the Games at Paris 2024, ending a 16-year absence.
Africa has two qualification slots for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, with Nigeria needing to navigate four knockout rounds to secure one of them.
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