By Chigozie Chukwuleta
VOE Football Academy’s top prospect, Noah Olusegun Shogbaike, has been selected for the 2026 FC Bayern World Squad, joining an elite list of Nigerian talents who used the program as a springboard to professional football in Europe.
The 23-man global squad was picked from over 10,000 applicants worldwide. Shogbaike is the only Nigerian and one of just three Africans to make the final list for Germany’s most successful club and its partner Audi.
The versatile attacker, who operates across all three positions behind the striker, caught the eye with 16 goals + assists in the concluded TCC season.
His selection continues VOE Academy’s growing reputation as a pipeline for European football. Alumni from the academy who passed through FC Bayern Youth Cup before turning pro include Victor Orakpo, now at OGC Nice, France; Daniel Francis at Wacker Innsbruck, Austria; David Emmanuel at Kladno, Czech Republic; Jeremiah Olaleke at Sesvete, Croatia; and Emmanuel Emeodi at Skenderbeu, Albania.
For Shogbaike, the call-up is the start of a bigger dream.
“It is a great opportunity to show what I can do to the world and I am grateful to Bayern Munich for the opportunity. My dream is to play at the highest level for both club and country, so this is a good place to start,” he said.
The FC Bayern World Squad is Bayern Munich’s international development project. U19 players from across the globe are selected, trained under Bayern coaches, and exposed to professional structures as they chase the dream of becoming professional footballers.
With Shogbaike’s inclusion, VOE Academy cements its status as one of Nigeria’s leading talent factories, and Nigerian football gains another young prospect positioning himself for the global stage.
