Russia vs Nigeria now has a sharper edge after the hosts thrashed Namibia 6-0 in Ekaterinburg on Saturday, three days before they welcome the Super Eagles to Nizhny Novgorod for an international friendly on Tuesday, October 6. Kick-off is 7pm local time, which is 6pm in Nigeria.
International friendly
Preview
Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod · Tuesday 6 October 2026, 6pm WAT
Eric Chelle’s squad held their first training session in Nizhny Novgorod on Saturday evening after flying into Moscow on Friday, and a final workout is planned for Monday. The trip comes a week after the 3-0 defeat in Bissau that left Nigeria’s AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign under heavy pressure.
Russia’s second-half surge against Namibia is a warning for Chelle’s defence
Namibia held Russia to 1-0 at half-time in the first-ever meeting between the two countries, but the Brave Warriors fell apart after the break as the hosts scored five more, two of them from the penalty spot. Lechii Sadulaev opened the scoring, with Ilya Prutsev, Artyom Tyukavin, Vladislav Glushenkov and Anton Petrov also on the scoresheet before a late own goal completed the rout.
That result followed a 2-0 win over Iran earlier in the week, so Russia go into Tuesday’s game on a run of two clean sheets. They’ve been suspended from FIFA and UEFA competitions since February 2022, which means friendlies like this one are the only senior football they can play and they’ve been taking them seriously.
The only previous Russia vs Nigeria meeting ended level in Moscow
| Date | Competition | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2025 | Friendly | 1 - 1 | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow |
Tuesday’s game is only the second senior meeting between the two nations. The first, at the Luzhniki Stadium on June 6, 2025, finished 1-1. Semi Ajayi turned a corner into his own net in the 27th minute to put Russia ahead, and Tolu Arokodare equalised in the 71st minute after a goalkeeping error.
Withdrawals have thinned Nigeria’s experienced core
Chelle travelled without captain Wilfred Ndidi, who picked up a knock in the Guinea-Bissau qualifier, and defender Victory Akpe, who was injured in training. John Otomewo replaced Ndidi and Vince Osuji came in for Akpe, as confirmed when the Super Eagles squad for the Russia friendly was revised.
Reports on Saturday also suggested that full-back Bright Osayi-Samuel has left the squad, although no reason has been given and the NFF hadn’t announced a replacement at the time of writing. Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Alex Iwobi weren’t part of the original list for this trip, which Chelle has used to look at younger and less established players after reshuffling his group.
What Nigeria need to take from Nizhny Novgorod
The friendly carries no points, but it’s one of the few chances Chelle has to work with his players before the Tanzania double-header that now decides whether Nigeria can still reach AFCON 2027. Russia could rotate heavily too. Veteran Russian coach Valery Nepomnyashchy said after the Iran win that “there will be serious changes in our lineup”, and added that Russia “may even have a harder time than against Iran” when Nigeria arrive.
For Nigeria, a solid performance away from home would ease some of the pressure built up in Bissau, especially for a back line that conceded three times there and is now without its captain and at least one defender from the original list. A new-look side that keeps Russia quiet would also give Chelle firmer options to take into the qualifiers.
