Nigeria vs Russia: Date, time, venue where to stream

The Super Eagles of Nigeria will return to action on Tuesday as they take on Russia in an international friendly at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium.

Head coach Eric Chelle is expected to use the encounter to assess his reshaped squad and test alternative options ahead of the resumption of Nigeria’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.

Nigeria endured a mixed start to the qualifiers, defeating Madagascar 2-1 in Uyo before suffering a 3-0 loss to Guinea-Bissau in Bissau four days later.

The friendly against Russia will give Chelle an opportunity to assess his players and make adjustments ahead of the next round of qualifying matches.

Russia, meanwhile, enter the game on the back of an impressive run of results. Valery Karpin’s side defeated Iran 2-0 on September 29 before recording a 6-0 victory over Namibia on Saturday.

The two wins extended Russia’s winning streak to four matches, during which they have scored 14 goals without conceding against Iran, Namibia, Burkina Faso and Trinidad and Tobago.

The Super Eagles will also be without several players for the friendly. Captain Wilfred Ndidi and defender Victory Akpe have withdrawn due to injury, while Raphael Onyedika, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Ridwan Abdulrasaq Popoola and Moses Usor are among those unavailable for different reasons. Suleiman Mubarak was also unable to travel because his residence permit was not secured.

Chelle has, therefore, made two changes to his squad, with John Otomewo and Vince Osuji called up to replace Ndidi and Akpe respectively. Both players are in line to make their senior international debuts against Russia. Otomewo recently joined French Ligue 2 side Stade de Reims from Hapoel Jerusalem, while Osuji plays for Norwegian club Tromsø after leaving Club Brugge.

The friendly will be Nigeria’s second meeting with Russia at senior international level. Their only previous encounter ended in a 1-1 draw in Moscow on June 6, 2025, with Semi Ajayi scoring an own goal before Tolu Arokodare equalised for the Super Eagles.

The match will therefore give Chelle another chance to examine his options ahead of the resumption of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers in November, while Nigeria will be seeking a better performance after the Guinea-Bissau setback.

Date, time and venue

Fixture: Russia vs Nigeria

Competition: International friendly

Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2026

Venue: Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

Kick-off: 5:00 p.m. Nigerian time / 7:00 p.m. Russian time

Where to watch

Viewers are advised to check local listings and official broadcaster platforms for the confirmed transmission details ahead of kick-off.

Follow Very Nigerian WhatsApp Channel
For Verified Breaking News, Exclusive Reports, Trending Stories, And Real-time Updates.
CLICk HERE TO JOIN!