Super Eagles preparations for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) have received a boost with a positive update on goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali.
The 29-year-old has been sidelined since Nigeria’s dramatic penalty shootout loss to DR Congo in the 2026 World Cup playoffs, raising doubts over his fitness. Chippa United head coach Vusimuzi Vilakazi had publicly cast doubt on Nwabali’s availability.
“He’s been playing with that (injured) hand for a while now and he aggravated the injury in Morocco,” Vilakazi told supersport.com.
“I don’t think he will make it, but when I was talking to him, he was confident that he will recover very soon, but obviously you will understand because he’s a player he wants to be there at the Cup of Nations finals. But the reality is saying for now he is still injured. I also hope for the best that he might find himself there.”
Stanley Nwabali celebrates with his Chippa United teammates. Photo Credit: PSL/X
A more optimistic assessment comes from former Super Eagles goalkeeper Etafia, who has been monitoring Nwabali’s recovery.
“Nwabali has started training,” Etafia said, according to the Nation. “I spoke to one of his teammates, the goalkeeper who was playing when he was on his absence, and he told me that now he has started training again, and he’s feeling better.
They haven’t gone on break yet. I think they will go on the 20th or the 22nd, so he’s still around the team. He’s feeling better now, and I think he has started both gym work and grass training, which is very good for him.
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Photo Credit: Imago
We’ll see what’s going to happen, but from what I’m hearing and from what the guys at Chippa have said, I think he’s going to be okay. He just needs to keep working, and if he continues like this, he should be ready. I’m confident he will make it in time.”
Etafia confirmed that Nwabali has moved from gym-based rehabilitation to light work on the pitch, an important step that suggests he may recover in time for the tournament.
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The update offers relief to the Super Eagles technical team and fans. Nwabali’s availability would be a major boost, given his key role in Nigeria’s run to last year’s AFCON final. He was named in the provisional squad, with head coach Eric Chelle expected to trim the list to the final 28 players shortly.
