It has been that kind of year for Nigerian football across all ages and genders, but a Super Eagles 3-0 loss to Guinea-Bissau in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying Group L match will certainly add another scar to what has already been a bruising year for Nigerian football. 

The result is made all the more jarring by the fact that it is Nigeria’s heaviest defeat against an African opposition since September 6, 2014, when a 3-2 defeat to Congo Brazzaville in Calabar was the beginning of the end of their run to the AFCON 2015, eventually surrendering the automatic qualification to group toppers South Africa and the Red Devils. It might be too early to sound the bells of alarm over a possible AFCON miss after just two matches ( a 2-1 win over Madagascar and this loss) of six, but with a team that’s consistently let its fans down like no other in recent times, it might indeed not be a misplaced concern.

There is enough blame to go around for a night like this. Eric Chelle’s choice of personnel, his insistence on the diamond, a pitch that was barely conducive to football, and Victor Osimhen’s absence, if you’re inclined to go there, all had their parts to play.  Essentially, the loss is certainly the team’s to bear, and the potential consequences, should Nigeria fail to qualify for AFCON 2027, will be national. But if an AFCON 2027 absence is to be avoided, it may be time to revisit the Super Eagles’ first-choice goalkeeper. Stanley Nwabali had only just returned to the fold and was making his second appearance since his comeback, but his performance in Bissau only added to a growing concern, as one, two and three goals found their way into his net with little resistance. 

To pin a defeat like this on one player would be reductive, but Nwabali’s performance cannot simply be a mere red herring, not after his comportment at Bissau’s 24 de Setembro National Stadium.

Chelle and his Super Eagles were absolutely rancid in Bissau on Tuesday, and the manager should carry the can for overseeing such an atrocious performance, including his goalkeeping personnel. For anyone who might have forgotten, Nwabali just reunited with the team in the September 2026 international window, after a clubless stint that saw him miss the March and June 2026 international windows. Now back at Chippa United, the very South African club he departed mid-season in search of a better opportunity, the former was reintegrated into the Super Eagles squad, giving a mixed performance in the opening qualifiers.

Nwabali’s stock didn’t take a hit just from these two matches. For what it’s worth, he had a decent enough outing against Madagascar in Uyo last Friday, and should be credited for keeping the scoreline level when he made a sweeping save to deny a 1v1 chance around the 52nd minute. However, consider his latest performance, alongside the number of errors that contributed to the embarrassment of the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, and there’s a good case to be made against keeping faith with him.

 Even though the goalkeeper showed glimpses of his quality during Nigeria’s run to the AFCON 2025 bronze medal, the confidence that once made the No. 1 spot seem firmly his now borders on insolence, making his continued selection increasingly difficult to justify. 

The former Enyimba FC star has hardly done himself any favours either. This is a professional athlete who shared on his social media, “I’m back now; it’s time to keep crying” upon his recent invitation to the fold.

Nothing will take away the fact that Nwabali has enjoyed a decent stint in the green and white jersey, following his moment of acclaim at the AFCON 2023. But it’s now altogether difficult to make the case for a side relying on a shot-stopper who has made for himself what is now, to all outward appearances, a reputation that’s farcical as it is damaging.

This begs the obvious question of who replaces him between Udinese’s Maduka Okoye and Charlton Athletic’s Arthur Okonkwo. 

Okoye vs Okonkwo: Who’s Nigeria’s Best Bet Going Forward?

Maduka Okoye has a slight edge as the longest-serving goalkeeper on the team. The 27-year-old German-born goalkeeper made his debut for the three-time African champions as far back as 2019, and was Nigeria’s first choice at the 2021 AFCON, where he took most of the blame for Nigeria’s early exit from the competition and had to take a break from the team to deal with the resulting pressure.

Getting back hasn’t been a linear process for Okoye since then, but where it also counts, the goalkeeper has developed quite the steady club career, especially since he joined Serie A’s Udinese, where he’s contributed immensely to their stay in the Italian top flight. For all of his superior relevance, however,  his personal life, and to an extent his demeanour, have persistently cast a shadow over his international career. 

Arthur Okonkwo, 25, doesn’t have such baggage on his profile. The English-born goalkeeper made his debut during the Unity Cup early in the year, but hasn’t had much of a run since then, made complicated by Nwabali’s return. Currently on loan at Charlton from Wrexham for the 2026/27 season, Okonkwo’s case is no doubt compelling, having been central to the club’s campaign so far this season, playing all of their opening seven matches in the Championship.

The only thing Nwabali has over these two profiles is the dependability he’s brought into the fold and sustained for over two years. Now, with reliability eroding, there’s nearly not enough justification to keep faith in him when you have younger profiles that are competing at the topmost level of football.

If it needs to be said, Serie A, where Okoye currently plays, is currently ranked fourth in the world, and the EFL 10th, by the Global Football Rankings. The PSL,  where Nwabali has been playing his trade for the past four years,  is ranked 60th. The argument that made dropping Nwabali earlier largely untenable was the disruption it could cause mid-campaigns. But with the football calendar still in the opening stages of a new campaign, there is no better time to make a definitive decision regarding the team’s goalkeeping department as well as other areas in the team.