Madagascar’s national team arrived in Uyo on Monday ahead of their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Nigeria. The Barea settled in at their venue before the Super Eagles players began arriving, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.
The Barea, under coach Corentin Martins, landed at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos before heading to Uyo later that day.
Madagascar, ranked 104th in the latest FIFA rankings, has players mainly from European lower leagues and African clubs. They are aiming to qualify for their second AFCON tournament, having made their first appearance in 2019, where they reached the quarter-finals in a memorable run.
They also pulled off a notable 2-0 win over Nigeria during the group stage of the 2019 tournament in Egypt.
The Madagascar Football Federation appointed Martins as head coach in January 2025, with the aim of qualifying for the 2027 AFCON among his main goals.
Martins initially called up 24 players for the qualifiers, with Troyes goalkeeper Zacharie Boucher being one of the key names. But reports say Boucher has been dropped from the squad due to comments he made in 2018, where he claimed to be French and rejected Madagascar.
The Super Eagles were also expected to start arriving in Uyo on Monday. As of this report, no players had been confirmed to arrive yet.
However, head coach Eric Chelle and his coaching team were seen arriving in Uyo on Monday.
Friday’s match marks the start of a new AFCON qualifying campaign under Chelle. The three-time African champions are looking to secure a spot in the 2027 tournament.
Nigeria has participated in the AFCON 21 times, finishing third in the last edition in Morocco in 2025.
Before that, the Super Eagles faced disappointment by not qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This failure led to several resignations at the Nigeria Football Federation, including president Ibrahim Gusau and general secretary Mohammed Sanusi.
Currently, the NFF is being managed by deputy general secretary Emmanuel Ikpeme.
Nigeria is in the same qualifying group as co-hosts Tanzania and Guinea-Bissau. Since Tanzania has already qualified automatically as one of the host nations, only the group winner will get a ticket for the 2027 finals, which will take place from June 19 to July 17 in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
On the field, Chelle will miss Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen, who is out due to injury but has several attacking options available.
Taiwo Awoniyi returns to the squad for the first time since 2024 to replace Osimhen. In-form players like Tolu Arokodare, Akor Adams, Rafiu Durosinmi, and new invitee George Ilenikhena are also ready to contribute in attack.
After facing Madagascar on Friday, the Super Eagles will head to Guinea-Bissau for their next qualifying match next Tuesday.
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