Super Eagles striker Akor Adams has welcomed the growing competition for places in Nigeria’s squad, insisting that players performing at a high level deserve opportunities as Eric Chelle continues reshaping the team.
Chelle introduced several fresh faces for Nigeria’s opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, with George Ilenikhena, Moses Usor and Isaac James among the newcomers.
For Adams, their arrival should be viewed as a positive development rather than a threat to established players.
“If you’re doing well, you deserve to be here,” Adams said. “We are happy to have new players coming in and doing well because at the end of the day, it makes the team better.”
That argument was strengthened in Nigeria’s opening qualifier against Madagascar, when newcomers Ilenikhena and Usor made an immediate impact by scoring as the Super Eagles recovered from behind to win 2-1.
Adams believes increased competition will be important if Nigeria are to fulfil Chelle’s ambition of becoming the strongest national team on the continent.
“If we want to be the best team in Africa, it starts from the qualification, like the coach has clearly said,” the striker said before the qualifiers. “That is what we aim to achieve as well.”
Nigeria’s next opportunity comes against Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday, with both sides having collected three points from their opening Group L fixtures. The Super Eagles travelled to Bissau on Sunday ahead of the encounter.
For Adams, however, qualification remains the first target before discussions about becoming Africa’s best can carry real weight.
He has also called on Nigerians to remain optimistic and continue supporting the team, particularly following the disappointment of missing the 2026 World Cup.
The message from Adams is simple: nobody’s place should be protected by reputation. If new players perform, they should play because stronger competition within the Super Eagles can only strengthen Nigeria’s pursuit of AFCON qualification and continental supremacy.
