Taiwo Awoniyi has been named as the replacement for Victor Osimhen in Nigeria’s squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.

The Nigeria Super Eagles confirmed Awoniyi’s inclusion in a post on their official X account on Sunday.

The Coventry City striker is expected to feature for the national team in the two qualifying matches scheduled for September.

“Coventry City striker Taiwo Awoniyi replaces Victor Osimhen in Nigeria’s squad for the AFCON 2027 qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.

“Welcome back, Taiwo,” the Super Eagles stated.

Awoniyi, 29, joined newly promoted English club Coventry City from Nottingham Forest in a reported £9 million deal.

His inclusion follows the withdrawal of Osimhen, who has been ruled out of both qualifiers after taking longer than expected to recover from a right adductor muscle strain.

The Galatasaray forward had initially been included in Eric Chelle’s squad for the international window, with hopes that he would regain full fitness ahead of the qualifiers.

However, Osimhen remained unavailable for Galatasaray’s Süper Lig fixture against Trabzonspor on September 19. The match had been regarded by officials at both the club and national team as an important assessment of his fitness.

Chelle had earlier announced separate squads for Nigeria’s two AFCON qualifiers and an international friendly against Russia.

The Super Eagles are scheduled to face Madagascar on September 25 and Guinea-Bissau on September 29, before taking on Russia in an international friendly on October 6, 2026.