Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle has revealed that he will test new players at the Unity Cup in London as Nigeria prepares to participate in the tournament for the first time.
The Super Eagles will participate alongside Ghana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago for the 2025 edition of the invitational tourney.
Chelle, who won his first match in charge of Nigeria against Rwanda 2-0 before playing out a disappointing 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe in the second match.
The draw against Zimbabwe in Uyo was a dent to the team’s chances of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Nigerians called on Chelle and the Nigeria Football Federation to give new players the opportunity to represent the team ahead of the next phase of the qualifiers in September.
He has now heeded to the call by confirming that he will give opportunities to new players to fight for shirt in the tournament in May.
Chelle said: “We are looking forward to taking part in the Unity Cup as it will give us the chance to try out a few new players in different roles, helping us to strengthen our squad before the matches in September and October.”
In the same vein, Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong is confident that the tournament will help the team to prepare the World Cup qualifiers.
He said: “This is a great tournament for us to reunite and continue strategizing for the upcoming World Cup qualifying games.”
The tournament will kick off with the first semi-final on Tuesday, 27th May as Trinidad & Tobago tackle Jamaica in the first-ever ‘Trini-Jam’ on UK soil.
The following day, Nigeria will take on four-time African champions Ghana in the second semi-final.
All four teams will return on Saturday, 31st May for the grand finale, with the losers of the semi-final fixtures featuring in the third-place game, before the Final to determine The Unity Cup 2025 champions.
The organisers of the tournament confirmed on Thursday that Brentford’s stadium, Gtech Community Stadium will host the matches.
