By Wale Mustapha
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed that the Super Eagles will play two international friendly matches in June, against Russia and Ghana, as part of their preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The exact dates for the friendlies are yet to be announced, but the matches are expected to help the team fine-tune their tactics before their World Cup qualifying fixtures later in the year.
Nigeria will host Rwanda’s Amavubi in Uyo in September, before traveling to South Africa for a match against Bafana Bafana in the same month. These upcoming qualifiers are critical for the Super Eagles, who were held to a 1-1 draw by Zimbabwe on Tuesday, denting their chances of automatic qualification for the 2026 tournament.
The team, led by coach Eric Chelle, will use the friendlies against Russia and Ghana to build momentum and address the issues that have affected their performance in recent matches.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
