For the second time, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia will clash in a senior international friendly match in Portimão, Portugal on Friday, 13th October 2023.
The Nigerian football federation made the announcement three days after the Super Eagles beat Sao Tome and Principe 6-0 in their 2023 AFCON final-day qualification game in Uyo on Sunday.
Saudi Arabia’s Green Falcons, who play Mali’s Eagles at the same venue four days later, are playing Nigeria at senior level for the second time.
The first encounter between both countries dates back to May 25, 2010, at a 2010 World Cup preparatory game in Austria that ended barren.
The most remarkable clash between both countries remains the opening match of the 1989 FIFA U20 World Cup.
Known as the FIFA World Youth Championship, second-half goals Christopher Ohenhen and Mutiu Adepoju steered Nigeria to a comeback 2-1 victory over the host nation in Riyadh.
The Nigeria and Saudi Arabia friendly comes barely a month before the Eagles will 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 away to Zimbabwe.
Furthermore, Nigeria is in group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers alongside South Africa, Rwanda, Benin Rep., Lesotho, and Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile, the Super Eagles will hope to pick one of the 9 African slots at the end of the CAF qualifiers.
The Estadio Municipal de Portimão, in the Algarve, is the home ground of Portimonense S.C. and can seat close to 10,000 spectators.