Sports
Pre-AFCON: FIFA Rule Pushes Nigeria vs Egypt Friendly to December 16
FIFA’s regulation allowing clubs to retain their players until Monday, 15 December 2025, has compelled a change in schedule for the much-anticipated Nigeria vs Egypt pre-AFCON friendly.
Both teams, seven-time AFCON champions Egypt and three-time winners Nigeria were initially set to play on Sunday, 14 December in Cairo. However, the enforcement of FIFA’s updated release rule meant national teams could not access their full squads before the original match date.
As a result, the friendly has now been moved to Tuesday, 16 December 2025.
In addition to the date change, officials have agreed that the fixture will now be treated as a practice match. This adjustment allows both sides to field more than five substitutes, supporting tactical preparation ahead of next month’s Africa Cup of Nations. The match will kick off at 8pm Egypt time (7pm Nigeria time) at the Cairo Stadium.
The Super Eagles are placed in Group C for the 35th Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where they will face:
- Tanzania on Tuesday, 23 December
- Tunisia on Saturday, 27 December
- Uganda on Tuesday, 30 December
All their group matches will take place at the Complexe Sportif de Fes.
Meanwhile, the Pharaohs of Egypt, who hosted the 2019 edition, are drawn in Group B, battling:
- South Africa
- Angola
- Zimbabwe
They will play their group fixtures at the Stade d’Agadir.
