Nigeria’s Super Eagles will play Russia in an international friendly in June, according to reports from the Russian Football Federation.
The Russian Football Union (RFU) has outlined the countries their national teams will face in March and June.
The RFU confirmed that the Russian national team will play friendly matches against Zambia in March, followed by Belarus and Nigeria in June.
The Super Eagles are set to travel to Moscow during the international window in June, marking their return to Russia for the first time since the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The last time Nigeria played a friendly in Russia was in 2017 when they faced Argentina. In that match, the Super Eagles secured a 4-2 victory over the South American giants in a warm-up game ahead of the World Cup, held at the Krasnodar Stadium.
Will the Super Eagles' friendly against Russia lead to a FIFA ban?
In October last year, FIFA lifted its blanket ban on Russian football teams competing in international tournaments.
The global football governing body announced that Russian youth teams would be allowed to participate in the men’s and women’s under-17 World Cup tournaments.
This decision came after Russia was expelled from all FIFA competitions in February 2022 following President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
FIFA’s ruling followed a similar move by UEFA, which permitted Russian youth teams to participate in continental competitions.
However, UEFA’s decision sparked backlash across Europe, with several nations refusing to play against Russian teams.
Despite these controversies, the friendly match between Nigeria and Russia has been sanctioned by FIFA. Therefore, there will be no repercussions for Nigeria if the game proceeds as planned.
