The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has officially called off the Super Eagles’ planned international friendlies against Venezuela and Colombia in the United States, originally scheduled for next month.
The decision followed Nigeria’s qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup playoffs, prompting a shift in focus toward strategic preparation and player management ahead of the crucial fixtures.
Officials told ESPN that the friendlies have now been cancelled after the Super Eagles defeated Benin Republic last week to earn a spot in the World Cup playoffs, which are scheduled for November 13–16.
“We had a clause in the contract for the games covering this eventuality, if we qualified for the playoffs,” an official told ESPN. “So we will not be going ahead with the matches any more.
“Our goal is to concentrate on the playoffs now and qualify from Africa and then focus on the intercontinental playoffs.”
The NFF explained that the cancellation will help avoid fatigue and injuries, allowing the technical crew to fine-tune tactics and monitor players’ fitness levels before the high-stakes playoff games.
Out of the four teams that qualified for the African playoffs, Nigeria has the highest ranking at No. 41. Gabon, the team with the lowest ranking (77), will be its opponent.
To earn Africa’s only ticket to the intercontinental playoffs in Mexico in March, the victor of that matchup will face the winner of the other semifinal between Cameroon (ranked 54) and DR Congo (ranked 60).
