AFCON 2025: Growing Concern as Super Eagles Delay Release of Provisional Squad List
Story: written by Daniel December 1,2025
Uncertainty continues to surround Nigeria’s preparation for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as the Super Eagles’ provisional squad list remains unreleased, five days after it was teased on the team’s official X (Twitter) account.
On November 25, the Super Eagles’ handle posted a brief message hinting that the AFCON preliminary squad announcement was imminent. However, no list has been made public since then. Instead, subsequent posts have only engaged fans with questions such as: “Which Super Eagle impressed you most during the AFCON 2025 qualifiers?” and “Who made the most appearances for Nigeria during the qualifiers?”
Meanwhile, South Africa has moved ahead decisively in their AFCON preparations. The South African Football Association (SAFA) has already unveiled a provisional 55-man roster, which will later be cut down to the final 23-man squad. SAFA confirmed that their definitive list will be released “in the coming days,” well before CAF’s December 11 deadline for all participating nations.
For added context, Bafana Bafana finished above Nigeria in Group C of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and appear committed to maintaining their momentum with timely planning and organisation.
Sports analyst Clinton McDubus noted that delays of this kind are “typical of how football is managed” in the country, a concern shared by many supporters who fear slow administrative processes could impact Nigeria’s tournament readiness.
