Nigeria’s home-based national team has departed for the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN) with a squad dominated by domestic league champions Remo Stars.

Nine of the 23 players named by head coach Eric Sekou Chelle are from the Ikenne-based club. The team, which has been training in Zanzibar since July 25, played two preparatory matches against the Zanzibar national team, drawing 0-0 and 2-2.

Assistant coach Daniel Ogunmodede, who led Remo Stars to the league title before joining the national team setup, said the target is clear, according to ESPN.

“We’ve tasted third, we’ve tasted silver. Now we need to go for gold. We want to go for the gold,” Ogunmodede said in the ESPN report.

He added that the goal is shared by the players, referencing a moment in camp.

“We were in training a few months ago and Rabiu Ali made a joke with the players saying we have been third before in this competition and we have been second before, this time we want to be first. That made a very big impression on me because it shows that the players themselves take this seriously,” he said.

Group D opponents for Nigeria include defending champions Senegal, as well as Sudan and Congo. The team’s first match will be against Senegal at the Amman Stadium in Zanzibar.

“Of course Senegal are defending champions so they will be there to defend the trophy and of course we are going to give them a good fight. A very good fight,” Ogunmodede said.

The CHAN tournament, which features only players active in domestic leagues, is being hosted across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, beginning August 2.