Nigeria’s Super Eagles will take on Russia in an international friendly on October 6, 2026, at the 44,000-capacity Nizhny Novgorod Stadium.
The fixture will come 16 months after the two countries played a 1-1 draw in Moscow, giving Nigeria another opportunity to test its squad against Russia ahead of crucial international assignments.
Their previous meeting, played at the Luzhniki Stadium in June 2025, saw Russia take the lead after Semi Ajayi scored an own goal. Nigeria responded in the second half through Tolu Arokodare to secure a draw.
Nigeria’s FIFA Match Agent, Jairo Pachon of Eurodatasports, confirmed the latest fixture, which will be the second meeting between the two nations.
The Russia friendly comes just one week after Nigeria’s second 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Guinea-Bissau in Bissau on September 29.
Before that trip, coach Eric Chelle and the Super Eagles will begin their qualifying campaign at home against Madagascar on September 25. Nigeria will then travel to Guinea-Bissau four days later.
The October clash should give Chelle another opportunity to assess his players, experiment with combinations and evaluate his squad against a strong international opponent.
Nigeria currently sit 26th in the FIFA world rankings, while Russia are ranked 35th. The match will take place at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, one of the venues used during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The friendly is also part of Nigeria’s efforts to maintain competitive international fixtures after failing to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Super Eagles recently played a 2-2 draw with Poland and suffered a 2-1 defeat to Portugal in international friendlies.
With the AFCON qualifiers beginning before the Russia encounter, Chelle will have limited room for experimentation. The friendly could therefore become an important opportunity to fine-tune the team and build momentum for Nigeria’s upcoming international commitments.
