Nigeria to Face Russia in October Friendly Match

Nigeria's national football team, the Super Eagles, will play an international friendly against Russia on October 6, 2023, at the 44,000-capacity Nizhny Novgorod Stadium. This match comes 16 months after their previous encounter, which ended in a 1-1 draw in Moscow.

In that match, Russia initially led with an own goal by Semi Ajayi, but Tolu Arokodare equalized for Nigeria in the second half. The friendly was confirmed by Nigeria’s FIFA Match Agent, Jairo Pachon of Eurodatasports.

This fixture is scheduled one week after Nigeria's second 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying game against Guinea-Bissau on September 29, following their opening match at home against Madagascar on September 25. The match against Russia will allow Nigeria's coach Eric Chelle to evaluate his squad ahead of future international fixtures.

Currently, Nigeria is ranked 26th in the world, while Russia is ranked 35th. The Super Eagles are arranging these international tests after missing out on the 2026 World Cup.