Super Eagles defender Benjamin Fredrick is set to miss the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after sustaining a knee injury on Friday.
The 20-year-old, who featured for the full 120 minutes in Nigeria’s CAF World Cup play-off matches against Gabon and DR Congo, reportedly picked up the injury during training with Belgian club FCV Dender EH, where he is on loan from Brentford.
The news was confirmed on Tuesday by sports journalist Oluwashina Okeleji, who wrote on X:
“Brentford FC’s Nigeria defender Benjamin Fredrick set to miss AFCON 2025 with knee injury picked up in training at Belgian club Dender on Friday. Expected to return to action after the tournament. The rising star started his country’s last six games under Eric Chelle.”
Fredrick has been one of Nigeria’s brightest breakthroughs in 2025, becoming a regular starter since making his international debut in a 2–2 friendly draw against Jamaica on May 31 — a game the Eagles won 5–4 on penalties to lift the Unity Cup.
He has since started six consecutive matches for the Super Eagles under Eric Chelle, impressing both at centre-back and right-back.
His injury now poses a major setback for Nigeria ahead of the AFCON preliminary squad announcement expected in the coming days.
At club level, Fredrick has also missed Dender’s last three Belgian Pro League matches against Royal Antwerp, Westerlo, and Standard Liege. His absence is a heavy blow for a struggling Dender side currently bottom of the table with eight points from 15 games.
The young defender had made 14 league appearances, starting 10 this season, and his unavailability until next year means Dender must find an urgent replacement as they battle to avoid relegation.
Fredrick’s injury ironically came just as the club secured their first win of the season, a 2–1 victory over Royal Antwerp — a match he did not feature in and was not listed among the injured players.
His recovery timeline suggests he will only return after AFCON 2025, ruling him out of what would have been his first major international tournament.