Nigeria vs Egypt Friendly Match Moved to New Date
Nigeria’s friendly match against Egypt has been moved to 16 December after FIFA updated its rules on when clubs must release players for the Africa Cup of Nations. The game was originally planned for 14 December, but both teams had to agree to a new date because many of their key players would not be available in time.
Egypt will only receive important players like Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush after 15 December. Nigeria faces a similar problem, as most of their squad is based in Europe and cannot leave their clubs earlier.
The change comes as both nations prepare for AFCON 2025 in Morocco, which runs from 21 December to 18 January. Egypt, seven-time champions, are hoping to win their first title since 2010 and have already named their 28-man provisional squad. Their players gathered in Cairo earlier this week to begin training.
Nigeria, however, now has to completely change its plans. The Super Eagles were meant to start camp in Cairo on 10 December, play their warm-up games, and then travel to Morocco. With FIFA’s updated rule, that schedule is no longer possible.
The Nigeria Football Federation has created a new plan, with the team now set to begin camp on 14 December—just one week before the tournament starts. Nigeria and Egypt will still play their friendly on 16 December, but it is not yet clear where the match will take place. Cairo is no longer an option, so both federations are considering moving the game to Morocco, where they hope to hold their training camps.
