{
  "id": 18810062,
  "title": "Olympic qualifiers: Seven NPFL players in squad for DR Congo clash",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/07/olympic-qualifiers-seven-npfl-players-in-squad-for-dr-congo-clash",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-07T23:16:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch Nigeria",
    "slug": "punch-nigeria",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/olympic-qualifiers-seven-npfl-players-in-squad-for-dr-congo-clash/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Nigeria's Olympic Eagles, the country's 23-man squad for the 2028 Olympic Games qualifying matches against the Democratic Republic of Congo, have been announced. The team comprises seven Nigeria Premier Football League players, chosen from a pool of 24 individuals who participated in a two-week training camp in Ikenne. The remaining 17 players were released on Saturday to resume their league fixtures. The first leg of the Olympic Eagles' qualifying clash will take place at TP Mazembe Stadium in Lubumbashi on Friday, November 13, with the second leg scheduled for Tuesday, November 17 at Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne. Security measures will see both matches played behind closed doors. Prior to this, the team secured a 3-1 friendly victory over Grassrunners FC on Friday. The Olympic Eagles' journey to the next round of the tournament involves winning on aggregate after facing either Burkina Faso or Sierra Leone. Reporters Peter has been covering sports for PUNCH for nearly two years, focusing on combat sports reporting, special features, and human interest stories.",
  "summary": "Seven Nigeria Premier Football League players have made Nigeria’s 23-man Olympic Eagles squad for the 2028 Olympic Games qualifying double-header against the Democratic Republic of Congo. Read More: https://punchng.com/olympic-qualifiers-seven-npfl-players-in-squad-for-dr-congo-clash/",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}