Nigeria, Egypt To Clash In Pre-AFCON Friendly Match On December 16

The Super Eagles of Nigeria will now play Egypt’s Pharaohs in a friendly game for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on December 16.

The Pharaohs were initially scheduled to play the Super Eagles on 14 December as part of their preparations for AFCON 2025, which will take place in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January.

A statement from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Monday said the change became necessary because FIFA rules allow clubs to keep their players until December 15 before releasing them for the competition.

The NFF described the upcoming meeting as a practice match, noting that both sides will be permitted to use more than the usual five substitutions.

The game will take place at Cairo Stadium and will kick off at 7 pm Nigerian time.

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle recently released a provisional list of 54 players for the tournament.

The list still includes team captain William Troost-Ekong, who announced his retirement from international football only days later. The final squad of 28 players will be selected from this pool.

The squad is scheduled to begin camping in Egypt on December 10 and is expected to play additional friendly games before the AFCON kicks off on December 21.

Nigeria is drawn in Group C alongside Tanzania, Tunisia, and Uganda.

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