Nigeria take on Iran at 4pm Nigerian time at the Corendon Airlines Park in Antalya, in a game that has already survived a war, a venue change and a squad overhaul before a ball has been kicked, Footynaija.com reports.
The fixture was originally part of a four-nation tournament in Amman, Jordan, but the Middle East conflict forced the Jordan Football Association to relocate the entire event to Turkey in early March.
Costa Rica and Jordan make up the rest of the group, but all eyes in Nigeria will be on the Chelle experiment taking shape on the day.
Related Post
Head-to-Head Record
Nigeria and Iran have met just twice in senior international football. The Super Eagles remain unbeaten in both encounters. Their first meeting came in a 1998 friendly in Hong Kong, where a goal from Ahmed Garba was enough to send Nigeria into France ’98 with a win.
The second, and more famous, encounter was their 2014 World Cup group stage meeting, a 0-0 draw, the first of that tournament, as Carlos Queiroz’s Iran produced a defensive masterclass to frustrate a Nigerian attack featuring Emenike, Moses, and Musa. Nigeria lead the all-time series with one win, one draw, and zero defeats.
Team News
Eric Chelle named a 23-man squad that generated more conversation for who was left out than who made it. Victor Osimhen is absent, having undergone surgery on a fractured right arm sustained during Galatasaray’s Champions League defeat to Liverpool.
Stanley Nwabali is out too, still without a club since leaving Chippa United in February. Tolu Arokodare, Terem Moffi, and Ola Aina also did not make the cut, for various reasons.
What Chelle has instead is a squad that leans toward the future. Emmanuel Fernandez, Collins Yira Sor, and Philip Otele are among the uncapped players getting their first look at the senior setup. Francis Uzoho starts in goal after being handed the number one jersey following Nwabali’s unavailability.
On the Iranian side, the absences carry a different weight entirely. Sardar Azmoun, Iran’s all-time second top scorer with 57 international goals, was expelled from the squad after posting a photo with Dubai’s ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, a gesture deemed disloyal given the active conflict between Iran and Gulf nations.
Mehdi Ghayedi, another UAE-based forward, was left out for the same reason. Iran held their final training session under strict media restrictions in Belek, near Antalya, officials citing the need to limit distractions amid heightened political tensions.
Predicted Lineup
Chelle is expected to line up in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, with Uzoho in goal. The back four likely features Fernandez making his debut alongside Chidozie Awaziem (for the injured Calvin Bassey), with Zaidu Sanusi and Bright Osayi-Samuel as fullbacks.
Ndidi anchors midfield, with Iwobi beside him. Lookman, Chukwueze, and Moses Simon offer width, with Paul Onuachu leading the line in Osimhen’s absence.
Match Details
Competition: Four-Nation Invitational Tournament
Date: Friday, March 27, 2026
Kick-off: 4:00pm (Nigerian time) | 6:00pm (local Turkish time)
Venue: Corendon Airlines Park, Antalya, Turkey
Prediction
The Iranians arrive in Antalya in circumstances that go well beyond football. Iran’s minister of sport has publicly raised doubts about whether the national team will even participate in the World Cup in June, and the disruption to their squad is visible.
But they are World Cup-bound and still carry enough quality to make this a proper examination. The debuts of Fernandez and Otele will tell us something about where Chelle sees the defence going post-AFCON.
The partnership between Onuachu and whoever plays off him will be worth watching, a target man-based attack looks very different from the fluid pressing game Nigeria played in Morocco.
Chelle has been deliberate all camp. Friday is the first real evidence of what that looks like in practice.
