CAF Expands Squad Limit to 27 as Nigeria Prepares for 2025 AFCON

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has introduced a revised squad regulation that will influence how national teams, including Nigeria, prepare for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Under the new rule, teams may register up to 27 players for major tournaments. However, CAF will only cover expenses for 23 players—including travel, accommodation, and logistics—while the remaining four must be funded by their respective football federations.

CAF says the change is aimed at helping coaches manage injuries, suspensions, and tactical adjustments amid a congested tournament schedule. Nigeria, scheduled to compete in the AFCON from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026, in Morocco, is expected to announce its provisional squad in the coming days. The Super Eagles’ official X account teased the announcement on Tuesday, confirming that a preliminary list is imminent.

Reports indicate that head coach Eric Chelle has already submitted a 55-man preliminary squad to the Nigeria Football Federation, with several newcomers likely to earn spots in the pre-AFCON training camp, which opens on Monday, December 8. The team is expected to play a series of warm-up friendlies before departing for Morocco. Nigeria has been drawn in Group C alongside Tunisia, Uganda, and Tanzania.

The Super Eagles will kick off their campaign against Tanzania on December 23 at the Complexe Sportif de Fès, before facing Tunisia in Fès on December 27. The final group fixtures, with Nigeria facing Uganda and Tunisia taking on Tanzania, will be played simultaneously on December 31. Nigeria, runners-up at the last AFCON, are targeting a fourth continental crown after previous triumphs in 1980, 1994, and 2013.