Ranking the contenders to replace Victor Osimhen for Nigeria

Nigeria’s road to the 2026 World Cup qualification has veered into dangerous territory. The 1-0 victory over Rwanda catapulted the Super Eagles back into contention, but it came at a cost. Star striker and talisman Victor Osimhen hobbled off with a groin injury, and his absence rippled into the next game, a crunch clash with group leaders South Africa.  Nigerians needed all three points to have a genuine hope of reaching next summer’s showdown, but without their prolific hitman, had to settle for a 1-1 draw.

Now, Nigeria’s qualification hopes are hanging by a thread.

Nigeria Needs a Miracle

In order to qualify for the World Cup, Nigeria needs to win their next two games and hope several other results go their way. As such, websites offering betting on football haven’t even listed the Super Eagles as a potential winner of next summer’s tournament, a pretty damning statistic considering the fact that China are featured on the odds list, albeit at odds of 1000/1.

So, with Nigeria’s qualification hopes precariously balanced on a knife-edge, the looming October battles against Lesotho and Benin couldn’t be more important. Will Osimhen be fully fit and able to lead the line? And if he isn’t, who should take up the mantle?

Tolu Arokodare

Another team that doesn’t have the odds in their favour is English outfit Wolves. Outlets where you can place a Premier League 2025/26 bet currently have the Black Country outfit listed as an odds-on favourite to suffer relegation this term, with one particular company pricing them at 8/11. In their hour of need, they have turned to one of Nigeria’s finest young hot shots, Tolu Arokodare, and the Super Eagles may have to do the same should Osimhen not return to fitness in time.

Last season with Genk, the Lagos-born striker terrified Belgian defenders, piling up 20 goals and alerting some of Europe’s biggest names. Wolves were ultimately the team that won, and now Nigeria will be hoping that the prolific striker can find the back of the net with similar regularity should they turn to him in October’s qualifiers.

Victor Boniface

Watch a few minutes of Victor Boniface and one thing is abundantly clear: this is a man who relishes the big stage. The powerful striker was Bayer Leverkusen’s battering ram during their historic, unbeaten Bundesliga title romp. This summer, he moved on loan to fellow German outfit Werder Bremen after a failed move to AC Milan, and his experience on the big stage could set him up perfectly to lead the Nigerian line in their hour of need.

Boniface’s game is not just about goals, though he has plenty of those; it’s about the moments in between: the surges from deep, clever one-twos with wingers, and a high-pressing engine that disrupts opposition buildups and creates chaos. With Ademola Lokman and Alex Iwobi either side of him, the link-up between such a menacing front three could be the difference between the Super Eagles winning their next two qualifiers or missing a second straight World Cup.