- The Super Eagles of Nigeria are set to face the Russian national team in an international friendly in June
- The FIFA international window in June is meant for friendly games, and Nigeria have an unlikely opponent
- The Russians have confirmed the date for the match, which will be the first between the two countries
The date and location for the historic match between the Nigerian national team and their Russian counterpart has been confirmed by the European country.
The FIFA international window of June 2025 is for friendly matches, and the Super Eagles of Nigeria, fresh off the 2026 World Cup qualifier games against Rwanda and Zimbabwe, will face Russia.
According to Soccer Base, the match will be historic as it would be the first time the two countries will be meeting in a friendly or competitive encounter.
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Date confirmed for Russia vs Nigeria
The match, which has been rumoured for weeks, has been confirmed by the Russian Football Union, who will host the game, with the specific location to be determined later.
The match will be held in Moscow on June 6, but the kickoff time has yet to be decided as well as the stadium will be announced later.
“The Russian Football Union has reached agreements with the football federations of Zambia, Nigeria and Belarus to hold friendly matches in the coming FIFA windows,” the statement reads.
The Nigerian Football Federation have not made any statement regarding the proposed friendly.
There were initial concerns about whether the match would go ahead because Russia has been under a FIFA ban since 2022, when the country invaded neighbours Ukraine.
Russia last played a friendly with ally Belarus in June 2024, winning 4-0 in the match held in Minsk.
The Russian friendly is not an immediate priority for Eric Chelle’s side. The priority lies in the 2026 World Cup qualifier games against Rwanda and Zimbabwe coming up in March.
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Both games are a must-win for Nigeria to get their qualifying campaign back on track after a poor start with three points from four games.
Balogun dismisses retirement rumours
Legit.ng reported that Leon Balogun dismissed retirement rumours as he eyes a return to the Super Eagles after more than a year since his last international appearance.
Balogun, who starred for the Nigerian national team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, wants to return to the team under new head coach Eric Chelle.
