AFCON 2025 countdown: NFF confirms new date for Super Eagles–Egypt friendly

This adjustment, the federation said, will help both technical crews test larger portions of their provisional squads before final selection.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed a new date for the Super Eagles’ pre-AFCON 2025 friendly against Egypt, following FIFA’s latest directive on player-release timelines ahead of next month’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

The highly anticipated warm-up match, earlier fixed for Sunday, 14 December in Cairo, will now hold on Tuesday, 16 December.

The shift became necessary after FIFA ruled that clubs are not obliged to release players for AFCON duty until Monday, 15 December—a decision that affected several participating teams, including Nigeria and Egypt, who were banking on the previous regulation.

With the new directive, both federations agreed to move the fixture by 48 hours to ensure the availability of all invited players.

NFF officials also confirmed that the game will now be treated strictly as a practice match, allowing both sides to make unlimited substitutions instead of the usual five.

This adjustment, the federation said, will help both technical crews test larger portions of their provisional squads before final selection.

The match will kick off at 8 p.m. local time in Cairo (7 p.m. Nigeria time) at the Cairo International Stadium.

A crucial test before a high-pressure AFCON

The Super Eagles, still carrying the weight of missing next year’s expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup, see the Egypt friendly as a key part of their preparation under coach Eric Chelle.

Nigeria will head into AFCON 2025 hoping to restore confidence after the painful failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup—a disappointment made worse by the fact that smaller nations such as Haiti and Curaçao closed out their tickets while Africa’s traditional giants stumbled.

Chelle recently released a 54-man provisional list featuring a mix of established stars and rising home-based players, with the final squad expected to be trimmed after the Egypt camp. Nigeria will open camp in Cairo before moving to Morocco for the tournament.

Nigeria’s AFCON path

The Super Eagles are drawn in Group C, considered one of the more unpredictable pools in the competition. They will face:

Tanzania on Tuesday, 23 December at the Complexe Sportif de Fes

Tunisia on Saturday, 27 December

Uganda on Tuesday, 30 December

All three group-stage matches will be played in Fes.

For Egypt, the most successful national team in AFCON history with seven titles, the preparation is equally important. They are placed in Group B, where they will face South Africa, Angola, and Zimbabwe. All their matches will be staged at the Stade d’Agadir.

Why the friendly matters

With AFCON now the only major tournament left in this cycle for Nigeria to redeem lost pride, the Egypt test offers Chelle an early chance to gauge team shape, physical conditioning, and squad balance before the real battle begins.

Nigeria’s recent inconsistencies and the public demand for a clear identity under the present coaching regime add extra importance to every pre-tournament engagement.