Nigeria’s Super Eagles will face Russia in an international friendly at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on October 6, 2026.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) confirmed the fixture on Tuesday following arrangements by its FIFA match agent, Jairo Pachon of Eurodata Sport.
It will be the second meeting between both countries in 16 months after their first senior international ended in a 1-1 draw at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on June 6, 2025.
Russia took the lead through Semi Ajayi’s first-half own goal before Tolu Arokodare came off the bench to equalise for Nigeria in the second half.
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The October encounter will be played exactly one week after the Super Eagles’ 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Guinea-Bissau in Bissau on September 29.
Nigeria will begin their AFCON qualifying campaign four days earlier when they host Madagascar at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on September 25.
The friendly therefore provides another competitive test for the Super Eagles during a demanding international window.
Nigeria are currently ranked 26th in the world, nine places above 35th-ranked Russia.
The 44,000-capacity Nizhny Novgorod Stadium was one of the venues used for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The October fixture will be Russia’s second senior international at the ground after their 1-0 victory over Cyprus in a European Championship qualifier in June 2019.
Despite failing to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Super Eagles have remained active in international football.
Nigeria retained the Unity Cup in London before recording a 2-2 draw against Poland in Warsaw and suffering a narrow 2-1 defeat to Portugal in Leiria.
Russia remain suspended from FIFA and UEFA competitions following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. The suspension, introduced in February 2022, prevents their national and club teams from competing in official FIFA and UEFA tournaments but does not prohibit international friendlies.
The original FIFA and UEFA suspension remains in force until further notice, while UEFA has also excluded Russian teams from its competitions during the 2026/27 season.
No kick-off time has been announced for the October 6 friendly.
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