{
  "id": 6571446,
  "title": "Nigeria to face Russia in October friendly",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/nigeria-to-face-russia-in-october-friendly",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-10T09:43:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Ghanaian Times",
    "slug": "ghanaian-times",
    "url": "https://ghanaiantimes.com.gh/nigeria-to-face-russia-in-october-friendly/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Nigeria's national football team, the Super Eagles, will face Russia in an international friendly on October 6 in Nizhny Novgorod. This will be the second meeting between the two teams in 16 months. The game will be played at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, following Russia's match against Namibia in Yekaterinburg and Nigeria's 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Guinea-Bissau. The Russian Football Union confirmed the fixture, stating that Russia will also play Iran in Kazan on September 29 and Namibia on October 3 before hosting Nigeria. The Super Eagles and Russia have only played once before, in June 2025, in a 1-1 draw at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium. Russia took the lead in that game when Nigeria defender Semi Ajayi scored an own goal. For their friendly, the Super Eagles will be without several regulars, including Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Wilfred Ndidi, Calvin Bassey and Ola Aina. The October match will continue Russia's pattern of playing friendly matches despite being suspended from FIFA and UEFA competitions since February 2022 due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.",
  "summary": "Nigeria will return to Russia for the second time in 16 months after the Nigeria Football Federation announced on Tuesday that the Super Eagles will play the hosts in an international friendly in Nizhny Novgorod on October 6. Nigeria’s FIFA match agent Jairo Pachon confirmed, in a statement issued by the NFF, that the game … The post Nigeria to face Russia in October friendly appeared first on…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
        "title": "Don’t get your hopes up for renewed fuel tax relief as motorists face record prices in October",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/dont-get-your-hopes-up-for-renewed-fuel-tax-relief-as-motorists-face",
        "published": "2026-09-10T11:01:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}