General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, has dismissed suggestions that Nigeria is competing at the 2026 Unity Cup with a Super Eagles Team B side.
In a chat with Brila FM Sanusi clarified that the squad currently representing Nigeria remains the official Super Eagles team, despite the inclusion of several new faces as head coach Éric Chelle continues to reshape the squad during the transition period.
The NFF official made the remarks shortly after Nigeria opened their Unity Cup title defence with a convincing 2-0 victory over Zimbabwe at The Valley.
Newly invited Millwall forward Femi Azeez stole the spotlight on his debut after scoring both goals to send the Super Eagles into the final of the competition.
These Aren’t Team B, They’re the Super Eagles
Speaking on the perception surrounding the team selection, Sanusi stressed that the current squad should not be regarded as a secondary national team.
“Let me correct the impression that the team that is playing is called team b, it’s not team b it’s the Super Eagles,” Sanusi stated.
“When you talk about team b you are talking about the Chan team. This is the Super Eagles, but new faces will be injected, so they aren’t team b they are Super Eagles.”
Several debutants featured during the victory over Zimbabwe, as Chelle continued to assess fresh options ahead of future international competitions and qualifiers.
Azeez immediately justified his inclusion after delivering an outstanding performance in attack. The forward opened the scoring early in the game before adding a second goal in the second half to seal Nigeria’s place in the final.
Sanusi also addressed concerns from some supporters regarding the level of opposition at the Unity Cup. According to him, modern football no longer allows any nation to be underestimated.
“I will also add that if you are playing any country you don’t expect that, outrightly, you will have victory over them. Football has gone scientific: it’s not about he size of the country nor about how long you have been playing football, but what you can do presently.
“So we expect a tough opposition, but, I can tell you that Nigerians are ready and the coach has invited equally good players who are committed. I can assure you that Nigeria will play well by the grace of God.”
Nigeria will now turn attention to the Unity Cup final, where Chelle’s side will face the winner of Wednesday’s clash between Jamaica and India.
The Super Eagles will head into the final with confidence after an encouraging display against Zimbabwe, while the emergence of new talents like Azeez has already provided fresh excitement for Nigerian fans.
