Victor Osimhen’s adductor injury will keep him out of both of Nigeria’s opening AFCON 2027 qualifiers, with Galatasaray now targeting a mid-October comeback against Barcelona.
Update, 18 September: Eric Chelle’s official 24-man squad announcement, confirmed after this article was published, has Osimhen named for both fixtures despite the injury — see our full squad breakdown and Nigeria vs Madagascar preview for the latest on his fitness.
Victor Osimhen will not be involved when the Super Eagles open their AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign this month. Galatasaray’s medical staff have now settled on a recovery timeline that rules him out of both fixtures against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, with his comeback instead pencilled in for mid-October.
Nigeria host Madagascar at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Wednesday, 23 September, before travelling to face Guinea-Bissau four days later. Osimhen picked up a right adductor strain in Galatasaray’s 3-2 win over Istanbul Başakşehir on 4 September, and the club confirmed the scale of the problem after scans at Acıbadem Hospital. As a result, the timeline simply does not leave room for a return before Eric Chelle’s squad reports for camp.
Galatasaray described the issue as an “advanced-moderate level strain” with bleeding in the muscle — the kind of injury that punishes any attempt to rush a comeback. That is why the club has already ruled him out of three matches in three competitions, including the Champions League opener against Sporting CP, rather than risk a longer lay-off later in the season.
According to Naija News, Galatasaray are working towards having Osimhen available for the Turkish Cup tie against Kasımpaşa on 11 October, with the Champions League visit of Barcelona two days later seen as the more realistic target for his full return. That puts his comeback roughly three weeks after Nigeria’s Guinea-Bissau qualifier — meaning the AFCON 2027 campaign will start without its most in-form forward.
The timing stings for Galatasaray too. Before the injury, Osimhen had scored six goals and added two assists in just four appearances this season, a red-hot start that made his absence immediately obvious. Head coach Okan Buruk admitted as much after a 1-0 win over Kocaelispor on 14 September, Osimhen’s second straight match on the sidelines.
“Having Osimhen is a strength, not just because of the player himself, but also psychologically. Just having him on the field makes a difference,” Buruk said, before adding: “We are also strong without him because we have quality players. But we miss Osimhen.”
Chelle already has decisions to make in attack. Paul Onuachu has also been carrying a knock, which leaves the coaching staff leaning on alternatives inside the squad to lead the line against Madagascar. Nigeria go into the qualifiers as favourites in Group L regardless, given Tanzania qualify automatically as co-hosts of the 2027 finals — but doing it without their sharpest finisher raises the degree of difficulty, particularly in front of a expectant home crowd in Uyo.
We have covered Osimhen’s fitness situation closely as it developed this month — see our report on him being ruled out of the Champions League opener for how the injury first emerged. For the bigger picture on Nigeria’s qualifying group, our AFCON 2027 fixtures guide breaks down the Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau dates in full, while our squad watch piece tracks who else has been called into Chelle’s plans this window.
No. His adductor injury and Galatasaray’s recovery timeline rule him out of the Madagascar fixture on 23 September, and Guinea-Bissau four days later as well.
Galatasaray are targeting mid-October, with the Turkish Cup game against Kasımpaşa on 11 October as a possible comeback and the Champions League match against Barcelona on 13 October seen as the more realistic return point.
An advanced-moderate strain with bleeding in his right adductor (groin) muscle, picked up during Galatasaray’s win over Başakşehir on 4 September.
It’s a blow rather than a crisis. Nigeria remain favourites in Group L, but missing their leading scorer for the opening two matches raises the difficulty of both fixtures.
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For the full picture of who else is in and out of Chelle’s plans, see our Super Eagles squad guide. Nigeria also have a fresh fixture on the calendar — read about the confirmed Nigeria vs Russia friendly on October 6.
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