Super Eagles To Play Venezuela, Colombia in USA

Football
By The Whistler
Nations Cup Draw: Super Eagles in Pot A, To Avoid Morocco, Senegal, Egypt By Taiwo Ibrahim The Draw Ceremony for the 35th Africa Cup of Nations finals will take place at the Mohamed V National Theatre in Rabat, Casablanca on Monday evening. Three-time African champions Nigeria have been placed in Pot 1, alongside seven-time winners Egypt, three-time champions and Cup holders Cote d’Ivoire, two-time winners Algeria, hosts, and 1976 champions Morocco and 2021 winners Senegal. As a result of being in the same pot with the African heavyweight teams, Nigeria will avoid playing against any of them in the group stage. Super Eagles Coach Éric Sékou Chelle and Team Administrator, Dayo Enebi Achor, alongside the Chairman of NFF Technical and Development Committee, Alhaji Sharif Rabiu Inuwa will attend the colourful ceremony in Morocco. The final tournament that begins on 21st December, and ends on 18th January is the first ever to start in a particular year and run into another year. Morocco will play host to Africa again since hosting the 1988 tournament that was won by Cameroon. Nigeria’s Super Eagles hold the record for the most medals from the 68-year-old championship: 16 in 20 previous participations. They are three-time winners (1980, 1994, 2013), finished as runners-up on five occasions (1984, 1988, 1990, 2000 and 2023), and took the bronze eight times (1976, 1978, 1992, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010 and 2019). The Eagles lost out in the quarter-finals in 2008 and were eliminated in the second round in 2021. Only in their debut in 1963, and as Cup holders in 1982, have the Eagles failed to proceed beyond the tournament group phase. Egypt will be appearing in their 27th tournament; Côte d’Ivoire 26th and; Cameroon and Tunisia 22nd. Hosts Morocco are appearing in their 20th finals and 2012 champions Zambia in their 19th. 2021 winners Senegal are appearing in their 18th final tournament. Nigeria have also played a total of 104 matches at the final tournament, 4th overall behind Egypt (111), Côte d’Ivoire (106) and Ghana (105). Nigeria’s Rashidi Yekini (of blessed memory) scored 13 goals across four final tournaments between 1988 and 1994. Pot 1: Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire Pot 2: Cameroon, Mali, Tunisia, South Africa, DR Congo, Burkina Faso Pot 3: Gabon, Angola, Zambia, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, Benin Republic Pot 4: Mozambique, Comoros, Tanzania, Sudan, Zimbabwe, BotswanaThe Super Eagles Team
The Super Eagles Team

The Nigeria Football Federation has announced that the Super Eagles will take on Venezuela and Colombia in the United States of America during the FIFA window for international friendly matches in the month of November 2025.

NFF’s FIFA Match Agent, Jairo Pachon of Eurodata Sport, said the Super Eagles will be up against Venezuela on Friday, November 14, 2025, at the Shell Stadium in Houston, Texas, with kick-off billed for 8 pm Texas time.

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On Tuesday, 18th November 2025, the three-time African champions will confront the Los Cafeteros of Colombia at the Citi Field Stadium in Flushing Meadows, borough of Queens, New York, with kick-off billed for 8 pm Eastern Time (1 am Wednesday, 19th November in Nigeria).

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In their last sojourn in the United States of America, in the summer of 2022, the Super Eagles played against Mexico at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, losing narrowly 1-2, with Nigeria’s goal coming off a powerful header by Cyriel Dessers. It was the first match in charge for Portuguese Coach José Peseiro.

The Eagles also took on Ecuador’s La Tricolour in New Jersey, losing by 1-0.

The Eric Chelle-led side will return to action against Lesotho and the Benin Republic in the World Cup qualifiers in October.

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The first clash is against Lesotho on October 10, while the encounter against the Benin Republic is at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo four days later.

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