Eric Chelle Expands Super Eagles Unity Cup Squad With Yira Sor and NPFL Star Tijani Al Ameen

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has made two late additions to his Unity Cup squad, calling up winger Yira Sor and Shooting Stars SC midfielder Tijani Al Ameen ahead of the London-based tournament later this month.

The Super Eagles official account confirmed the additions on May 21, 2026, expanding Chelle’s original 27-man selection to 28 players. Nigeria enter the competition as defending champions and are scheduled to face Zimbabwe, India, and Jamaica in the group stage.

Sor’s inclusion appears to be a direct response to the withdrawal of Sweden-based teenager Zadok Yohanna. The youngster’s club, AIK, declined to release him for the invitational tournament — which falls outside the official international window — citing pressing club commitments and his recovery from injury. The former Flying Eagles winger had a productive domestic campaign with KRC Genk in Belgium, though he struggled to make a meaningful impact during Nigeria’s friendly against Jordan in March.

The second addition, Tijani Al Ameen of Shooting Stars SC, strengthens the domestic contingent within Chelle’s setup. His inclusion raises the number of Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL)-based players in the squad to eight, underscoring the Malian coach’s continued emphasis on integrating home-based talent into the national team structure.

Al Ameen joins a substantial group of locally-based players already named in the squad. That contingent includes Tosin Oyedokun, Aderemi Adeoye, and Michael Atata from Ikorodu City, as well as Chibueze Oputa and Obinna Igboke of Rangers International, and Elias Ochobi from Rivers United.

For Chelle, the Unity Cup represents more than a title defence. The Malian tactician is expected to use the tournament as a preparatory platform ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign, providing him an opportunity to assess squad depth and combinations across different positions before competitive fixtures resume.

The tournament’s invitational nature — meaning clubs are not obligated to release players — has shaped the composition of Chelle’s squad, as evidenced by AIK’s decision to retain Yohanna. That dynamic places greater emphasis on domestically-based players and those whose clubs have opted to cooperate, giving NPFL representatives a meaningful chance to stake their claim for more regular international consideration.