Nigeria’s Super Eagles will play Russia in an international friendly at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Tuesday, 6 October 2026.
The match has been scheduled just seven days after Nigeria’s second fixture in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, when Eric Chelle’s side are due to face Guinea-Bissau’s Djurtus in Bissau on Tuesday, 29 September.
Nigeria will begin their qualifying campaign at home against Madagascar’s Barea on Friday, 25 September, before travelling to Guinea-Bissau for their second Matchday 2 fixture.
The meeting with Russia will give the Super Eagles another opportunity to test themselves against international opposition after their opening AFCON 2027 qualifiers.
Nigeria and Russia last faced each other in an international friendly on 6 June 2025 at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium. The match ended in a 1-1 draw after both sides scored once.
Russia went ahead during the first half when Nigeria defender Semi Ajayi put the ball into his own net. Nigeria responded after the interval, with Tolu Arokodare scoring the equaliser.
The fixture in Nizhny Novgorod will therefore be the second meeting between the countries in 2025 and 2026, following their previous encounter in the Russian capital.
Nigeria are currently ranked 26th in the FIFA world rankings, while Russia’s national team, known as ‘Our Boys’, are 35th.
Chelle’s team will have the chance to build momentum at the start of the international window, although their immediate priority will be the opening AFCON qualifier against Madagascar before the trip to Bissau.
The contest against Russia is expected to complete that sequence of September and October fixtures, with the Super Eagles facing three different opponents across the two international matches and the friendly.
The match will be played at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, one week after Nigeria’s meeting with Guinea-Bissau and 11 days after their opening fixture against Madagascar.
The Super Eagles’ previous meeting with Russia ended without a winner, but Nigeria will be seeking a positive result when the sides meet again in October 2026.
The friendly was reported by Completesports.com.