Nigeria will face Russia in an international friendly at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Tuesday, marking their second meeting in 16 months. The Super Eagles arrive a week after a disappointing defeat to Guinea-Bissau in qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
Previous meeting and current form
When the two nations last met in June 2025 at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium, Valery Karpin’s Football Union of Russia — suspended by FIFA and UEFA since October 2022 — saw their eight-game winning run snapped. Russia took the lead just before the half hour mark when Semi Ajayi sent the ball into his own net. Nigeria substitute Tolu Arokodare equalised in the second half after pouncing on a rare mistake from Matvey Safonov to earn a draw.
Squad turmoil ahead of the match
Head coach Eric Chelle has been left with a squad of 18 players after seven withdrawals. Captain Wilfred Ndidi and defender Victory Akpe are unavailable because of injury, while Raphael Onyedika, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola have been stopped from travelling to Russia by their respective clubs. Suleiman Mubarak could not travel due to not securing a resident permit, and LASK denied Moses Usor permission to fly to Russia.
No official explanation for the friendly
There has been no official explanation as to why Nigeria have organised a second friendly with Russia in the space of 16 months, especially as the match is not recognised by FIFA or UEFA. Both governing bodies placed an indefinite ban on the Russia national teams following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the conflict remains unresolved. Russia have also faced Cameroon, Kenya, Zambia, Mali, Egypt, Burkina Faso and Namibia since the ban was put in place.
From a Nigeria perspective, the game allows Chelle to have a closer look at several players as he continues preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations qualification double-header against Tanzania in November. Victor Osimhen will be absent after sitting out the Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau games with an injury. Alex Iwobi, Ademola Lookman, Calvin Bassey, Ola Aina, Samuel Chukwueze, Arokodare and Arthur Okonkwo were never named in the squad list for the friendly.
Where to watch Russia vs Nigeria
No UK broadcaster has been announced for Russia vs Nigeria, which kicks off at 6pm BST. According to TV listings website LiveOnSat, the match is being shown on AfroSport TV. The match is also set to be shown in Russia on Channel One, with Okko providing a streaming option.
