Super Eagles, Saudi’s Green Falcons to Test Strength in Portugal
AHEAD WORLD CUP 2026 QUALIFIERS
Nigeria and Saudi Arabia will clash in a senior international friendly match in the city of Portimão, Portugal on Friday, 13th October 2023.
The clash comes barely a month before the three-time African champions, who lashed Sao Tome and Principe 6-0 in their 2023 AFCON final-day qualification game in Uyo last Sunday, set out on the race for a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals with a home game against the Crocodiles of Lesotho.
Within the same FIFA window in November, the Eagles will play their second match of the qualification series, away to the Warriors of Zimbabwe.
The friendly with Saudi Arabia’s Green Falcons has is one of the tune up games new handler, Roberto Mancini has lined up to prepare his team ahead of 2026 World Cup qualifier against either Cambodia or Pakistan in November.
The Saudis who will play Mali’s Eagles at the same venue four days later after the Nigerian clash, have never played Super Eagles at senior level.
The most remarkable clash between both countries remains the opening match of FIFA U20 World Cup (then known as FIFA World Youth Championship) in 1989, in which second half goals by Chrstopher Ohenhen and Mutiu Adepoju steered Nigeria to a comeback 2-1 victory over the host nation in Riyadh.
After Nigeria missed the last Mundial in Qatar in a nail-biting manner at home in Abuja, the clash with Saudi Arabia appears one avenue for team handler, Jose Peseiro, to try out new game plans.
