Victoria Mgbanwa
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed the schedule for Nigeria’s senior men’s national team as they approach the final two matches of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
In partnership with the Confederation of African Football (CAF), NFF announced that the Super Eagles will face the Benin Republic on November 14 and Rwanda on November 18, with both games crucial for solidifying Nigeria’s place in the AFCON finals.
The first match takes the Super Eagles to Abidjan for a November 14 clash with Benin Republic at Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny. Scheduled for an 8 PM (Nigerian time) kickoff, the game will be officiated by a Senegalese team led by referee Issa Sy, joined by assistant referees Djibril Camara and Nouha Bangoura, with El Hadji Amadou Sy as the fourth official.
The match will also feature officials Rene Williams Sere from Ivory Coast as the commissioner and Angola’s Inacio Manuel Candido as the referee assessor.
The Super Eagles will conclude their Group D campaign on home soil on November 18 at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, where they will face Rwanda at 5 PM Nigerian time. This final fixture will be officiated by Moroccan referee Samir Guezzaz, with Zakaria Brinsi and Abdessamad Abertoune as assistant referees. The officiating team will also include fourth official Kech Chaf Mustapha from Morocco, Ghana’s Prosper Harrison Addo as the match commissioner, and Ali Mohamed Ahmed of Somalia as the referee assessor.
Currently, Nigeria leads Group D with 10 points from four matches, four points clear of Benin and five points ahead of Rwanda. A favorable outcome against Benin would guarantee the Super Eagles’ place in the 2025 AFCON finals in Morocco.
The team’s path to the qualifiers has not been without challenges. In their last match against Libya, the Eagles faced logistical setbacks, including a diverted flight and nearly 20 hours stranded at the Al-Abraq airport near Benghazi without basic necessities. Despite this, the Super Eagles remain focused on their qualification goal, with just one point needed to secure their spot in the upcoming AFCON tournament.
