Chukwueze faces scan ahead of London derby against Arsenal as Nigeria rises four places in Fifa rankings

ENGLISH Premier League side Fulham will be subjecting Super eagles winger Samuel Chukwueze to a scan to determine if he is fit to play in tomorrow's London derby against table toppers Arsenal after he picked up a knock while on international duty.

Chukwueze, 26, was one of the stars of the show on Tuesday when Nigeria thrashed Benin Republic 4-0 in Uyo to qualify for the World cup playoffs. It was his crosses that fed striker Victor Osimhen for the opening two goals in the first half but at the interval, Chukwueze had to limp off with an injury.

He has since returned to London where Fulham coach Marco Silva is sweating over his fitness as although he is undergoing a recovery session in the gym, the club has decided he will undergo a scan to determine his availability for the London derby at Craven Cottage tomorrow evening.  A deadline-day signing from AC Milan, Chukwueze has yet to make his starting debut for Fulham but his impressive performances off the bench have put him close to earning a starting spot.

Coach revealed that Chukwueze had come off at half-time during the Benin Republic game due to a calf issue.  Nigeria manager Eric Chelle will be monitoring the situation too as he is expected to finalise his squad within the next two weeks for November's crunch World Cup playoffs, starting with the first game against Gabon and then the winner of the DR Congo vs Cameroon clash.

Meanwhile, the Eagles' hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup have received another boost today after the team rose up four places in the latest Fifa rankings. Of all the teams that will feature in the inter-continental playoffs which is the final determinant of who goes to the World Cup, Nigeria's Super Eagles are the highest ranked at 45.

What that means is that should the Super Eagles scale through the African playoffs next month in Morocco, Nigeria will only play one game in the final to reach the World Cup. Six teams will participate in the play-off but Fifa has announced that the highest ranked two will get a bye to the final.

Nigeria's Super Eagles have now climbed to 41st place in the world and returning to the top five in Africa. This new ranking marks Nigeria’s highest position since October 2024, when the three-time African champions were ranked 36th globally.

Morocco's Atlas Lions of Morocco remain Africa’s highest-ranked team, placed 12th globally, while Senegal stay second t and 18th worldwide. Egypt and Algeria follow in third and fourth after improving to 32nd and 35th, respectively as Nigeria’s resurgence pushes the Eagles into fifth place, overtaking Ivory Coast, who fell to sixth place.

Further down the list, Tunisia are in 49th, Cameroon 50th, South Africa 54th, Mali 56th and Ghana 58th, completing Africa’s top 10. So far, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cape Verde and South Africa have all qualified for the World Cup.