Osimhen Sidelined With Groin Injury, Set to Miss Champions League Opener and Nigeria Qualifiers

Victor Osimhen is facing two to three weeks out with a groin injury, and it's coming at the worst possible time for both his club and his country.

Galatasaray confirmed on Monday that scans showed the Nigerian striker picked up what they called an "advanced-moderate level strain" in his right adductor. The injury happened during Friday's 3-2 league win over İstanbul Basaksehir, and it means Osimhen will sit out Wednesday's Champions League opener away to Sporting CP. He's also expected to miss Nigeria's opening two 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers later this month.

In a statement posted on social media, the club said, "Following the completion of MR and advanced examinations at our sponsor Acıbadem Hospital, advanced-moderate level strain (bleeding and strain) has been detected in the right adductor (groin) muscle group of our footballer Victor Osimhen."

The timing stings because Osimhen had been in red-hot form. He opened the scoring against Basaksehir in the 16th minute, his sixth league goal in just four appearances this season, on top of two assists. But things went wrong fast. He looked to be in pain not long after scoring, signaled to the bench, and was subbed off in the 33rd minute for Barış Alper Yılmaz. Galatasaray still came out on top, with Gabriel Sara scoring the winner in the 90th minute after the team had twice given up the lead.

The club initially described the issue as pain and strain, saying further tests would follow. Those tests later confirmed how serious it was.

There is a bit of good news buried in the timeline. Osimhen is expected to be back for Galatasaray's second Champions League group game on October 13, when Barcelona come to Istanbul. But he'll definitely miss the trip to Sporting on September 9.

For Nigeria, the timing could hardly be worse. The Super Eagles host Madagascar on September 25 and then travel to Guinea-Bissau four days later, both matches falling right inside Osimhen's expected recovery window. That leaves head coach Eric Chelle without his main striker to open a new World Cup qualifying cycle, echoing the striker availability problems that hurt Nigeria during their failed push for the 2026 World Cup.

Making matters worse, Trabzonspor's Paul Onuachu, another option up front for Nigeria, also went off injured during his club's 5-0 win over Genclerbirligi on Sunday.

Nigeria sit in Group L alongside Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau and co-host Tanzania. Since Tanzania already has an automatic spot as a tournament host, only the top team outside the hosts will move on from the group.

Osimhen's injury also puts a pause on his chase of a Nigerian scoring record that has stood for more than 20 years. Rashidi Yekini scored 37 goals in 58 caps between 1984 and 1998, still the national record. Osimhen has been closing in fast, netting eight goals in seven appearances for Nigeria in 2026 alone, leaving him just two short of Yekini's mark. His last international goal came in a 2-0 win over Algeria in the AFCON quarterfinals back in January.