Nigeria listed as Russia lines up series of friendlies for national team

By Olaolu Joseph

Nigeria’s senior national team, the Super Eagles, are scheduled to play a friendly match against Russia’s national team in June this year, marking the European giant’s long-awaited return to the international scene after a three-year absence.

In 2022, Russia invaded its neighbor, Ukraine, and was subsequently banned from all international sporting competitions, including the FIFA World Cup.

Due to the ban, Russia was prohibited from playing friendlies against FIFA member countries like Nigeria as part of a series of punitive sanctions.

However, in what appears to be a softening of the ban, Russia is now being permitted to gradually return to international football. According to the Russian Football Union (RFU), in June this year, the Russian national team will play the Super Eagles in Moscow.

An RFU spokesman said: “In March, Valery Karpin’s team will play against Zambia in Moscow, and on June 6, the Russian national team will play a home match against Nigeria. They will then face Belarus away from home on June 10.”

While the venue for the match against Nigeria has not yet been confirmed, it is expected to take place in Moscow, the Russian capital.

Last December, Russia’s sports minister, Mikhail Degtyarev, said the football federations of Russia and Turkey were in talks to hold a friendly match in 2025.

In mid-January, the RFU published its calendar of sporting events for 2025. According to the calendar, the Russian national football squad will play 10 friendlies this year, eight of them at home, with the Nigeria game being one of them.