The Nigeria Soccer Federation (NFF) has confirmed a brand new date for the Tremendous Eagles’ pre-AFCON 2025 pleasant towards Egypt, following FIFA’s newest directive on player-release timelines forward of subsequent month’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The extremely anticipated warm-up match, earlier fastened for Sunday, 14 December in Cairo, will now maintain on Tuesday, 16 December.
The shift turned vital after FIFA dominated that golf equipment aren’t obliged to launch gamers for AFCON responsibility till Monday, 15 December—a call that affected a number of collaborating groups, together with Nigeria and Egypt, who had been banking on the earlier regulation.
With the brand new directive, each federations agreed to maneuver the fixture by 48 hours to make sure the supply of all invited gamers.
NFF officers additionally confirmed that the sport will now be handled strictly as a apply match, permitting either side to make limitless substitutions as an alternative of the standard 5.
This adjustment, the federation stated, will assist each technical crews check bigger parts of their provisional squads earlier than ultimate choice.
The match will kick off at 8 p.m. native time in Cairo (7 p.m. Nigeria time) on the Cairo Worldwide Stadium.
A vital check earlier than a high-pressure AFCON
The Tremendous Eagles, nonetheless carrying the burden of lacking subsequent 12 months’s expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup, see the Egypt pleasant as a key a part of their preparation below coach Eric Chelle.
Nigeria will head into AFCON 2025 hoping to revive confidence after the painful failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup—a disappointment made worse by the truth that smaller nations corresponding to Haiti and Curaçao closed out their tickets whereas Africa’s conventional giants stumbled.
Chelle just lately launched a 54-man provisional record that includes a mixture of established stars and rising home-based gamers, with the ultimate squad anticipated to be trimmed after the Egypt camp. Nigeria will open camp in Cairo earlier than shifting to Morocco for the event.
Nigeria’s AFCON path
The Tremendous Eagles are drawn in Group C, thought-about one of many extra unpredictable swimming pools within the competitors. They may face:
Tanzania on Tuesday, 23 December on the Complexe Sportif de Fes
Tunisia on Saturday, 27 December
Uganda on Tuesday, 30 December
All three group-stage matches can be performed in Fes.
READ ALSO: AFCON 2025 Countdown: Seven Tremendous Eagles stars on the brink as Chelle prepares ultimate 28-man squad
For Egypt, essentially the most profitable nationwide workforce in AFCON historical past with seven titles, the preparation is equally essential. They’re positioned in Group B, the place they may face South Africa, Angola, and Zimbabwe. All their matches can be staged on the Stade d’Agadir.
Why the pleasant issues
With AFCON now the one main event left on this cycle for Nigeria to redeem misplaced delight, the Egypt check provides Chelle an early likelihood to gauge workforce form, bodily conditioning, and squad steadiness earlier than the true battle begins.
Nigeria’s current inconsistencies and the general public demand for a transparent id below the current teaching regime add additional significance to each pre-tournament engagement.
