Boluwatife Kehinde
In preparation for the critical World Cup playoffs, Nigeria’s Super Eagles have cancelled their international friendlies against Venezuela and Colombia, which were scheduled to take place in the United States next month.
According to ESPN, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had announced these two fixtures in September, with the matches set for November 14 at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston and November 18 at Citi Field in New York.
However, the federation confirmed that the U.S. tour will no longer happen following Super Eagles’ qualification for the CAF World Cup playoffs, achieved after a dominant 4-0 victory over Benin Republic, concluding the first phase of their World Cup qualification.
An NFF official told ESPN, “We had a clause in the contract for the games covering this eventuality. Since we’ve qualified for the playoffs, we will not be proceeding with the matches. Our goal now is to concentrate fully on qualifying for the World Cup.”
The playoffs are scheduled for November 13–16 in Morocco, where Nigeria will face Gabon in the semifinals. Currently, the Super Eagles, ranked 41st, are the highest-ranked team among the four playoff contenders, which also include Cameroon, Congo DR, and Gabon.
The winner of the match between Nigeria and Gabon will face the victor of the Cameroon vs. Congo DR match for Africa’s sole ticket to the intercontinental playoffs in Mexico next March.
As Super Eagles focus on securing a place in the 2026 World Cup, these matches in Morocco will also serve as early preparation for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The two-time Africa Cup of Nations winners finished as runners-up in the 2023 edition in Ivory Coast and have been drawn in Group C alongside Tanzania, Tunisia, and Uganda.
Although tickets for the canceled U.S. friendlies had already gone on sale, ESPN reports that refund procedures will be announced shortly.
