Nigeria’s Super Eagles have withdrawn from their scheduled international friendlies against Venezuela and Colombia in the United States next month.
According to ESPN, this decision allows the team to concentrate fully on their critical World Cup playoff matches in Morocco.
The Nigeria Football Federation had initially announced the friendlies in September, with games set for November 14 at Houston’s Shell Energy Stadium and November 18 at Citi Field in New York.
But after securing their spot in the CAF World Cup playoffs by defeating Benin Republic last week, the federation confirmed that the U.S. tour has been canceled.
“We had a clause in the contract for the games covering this eventuality.
“Since we’ve qualified for the playoffs, we will not be going ahead with the matches. Our goal now is to concentrate fully on qualifying for the World Cup,” an NFF official told ESPN.
The playoffs, set for November 13–16 in Morocco, will see Nigeria face Gabon in the semifinals.
The Super Eagles, currently ranked 41st in the world, are the highest-ranked side among the four playoff teams, which also include Cameroon, Congo DR, and Gabon, Punch newspaper reports.
The winner between Nigeria and Gabon will, according to the report, face the victor of Cameroon vs. Congo DR for Africa’s lone ticket to the intercontinental playoffs in Mexico next March.
Beyond the World Cup path, the matches in Morocco also offer early preparation for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria, runners-up at the 2023 edition in Ivory Coast, are drawn in Group C alongside Tanzania, Tunisia, and Uganda. They begin their AFCON campaign on December 23 in Fez, the report explains.
Tickets for the canceled U.S. friendlies had already gone on sale, but ESPN reports that refund procedures will be announced shortly.
For now, Nigeria’s focus is singular — securing a place at the 2026 World Cup, the Punch report concluded.
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