The Russian Football Union (RFU) has confirmed that Russia’s men’s national team will play an international friendly against Nigeria’s Super Eagles on June 6, 2025. The RFU announced the match in a statement released on Thursday, revealing that agreements had been made with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) as well as two other national football organizations to schedule the friendly.
While the match is set to take place in Russia, the RFU has not yet disclosed the specific time or venue for the game.
This announcement comes amidst Russia’s continued suspension from international football competitions. Since 2022, FIFA and UEFA have banned all Russian teams and clubs from their respective competitions following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. However, in 2023, FIFA slightly relaxed the restrictions, permitting Russian U-17 teams to compete in international tournaments, albeit under neutral conditions—without the national flag, anthem, or official team kits.
Even with this ban, Russia’s senior men’s team has managed to continue playing non-FIFA-sanctioned friendlies against non-Western countries.
As of now, the Nigeria Football Federation has not issued an official statement confirming their stance on the proposed match. If the friendly goes ahead, it will mark the first-ever meeting between the two teams at the senior international level.
