National Teams
Two friendlies confirmed for Super Eagles ahead of AFCON 2023
By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde
In preparation for next year’s African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast, two friendly games have been confirmed for Nigeria’s senior men’s national team.
The first of the two friendly matches is against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
This will be followed by Ivory Coast neighbours, Burkina Faso.
The dual encounters are to test Super Eagles might ahead of next month’s AFCON in Ivory Coast.
The three-time African champions recently had abysmal results in their last two games against Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
Both 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers ended in a 1-1 draw raising concerns about the team’s title prospects for the next AFCON.
Nigeria will face Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea Bissau in Group A as a starter towards winning their fourth AFCON title in Ivory Coast.
After triumphs in 1980 on home soil, 1994 in Tunisia, and 2013 in South Africa, Super Eagles will hope to win their second title on West African soil and third with a foreign coach.
Oto Gloria (1980) and Clemens Westerhof (1994) were the two foreign coaches who won the title for Nigeria.
Jose Peseiro will hope to follow in their footsteps.
