SUPER Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali could be unavailable for the Morocco 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Chippa United goalkeeper has been Nigeria’s first-choice shot stopper since the last AFCON in early 2024, but he has now emerged as a major doubt for the African showpiece.
The 2025 AFCON is scheduled for December 21 to January 18 across five Moroccan cities.
Nwabali has been nursing ankle and hand injuries since featuring for the Super Eagles in the World Cup play-offs in November, and is yet to play for Chippa United in the South African top flight since then.
Chippa United head coach Vusumuzi Vilakazi cast doubt on Nwabali’s availability for AFCON today, although he suggested that the 29-year-old has not given up on representing his country in the continental tournament.
“I don’t think he’ll make it,” Vilakazi said. “But when I was talking to him, he was confident that he will recover very soon.”
Nwabali is in the Super Eagles’ 54-man provisional squad for the 2025 AFCON, which will soon will cut down to 28 players before the tournament.
The former Wikki Tourists and Enyimba goalkeeper has made 27 appearances for the Super Eagles and has been an ever-present figure in the line-up in the last two years.
If Nwabali fails to be fit in time for AFCON, Udinese’s Maduka Okoye, who recently returned from a ban over betting breaches, is the most likely candidate to be the Super Eagles’ first-choice goalkeeper in Morocco.