Nigeria vs Venezuela: Super Eagles confirm Houston friendly ahead of AFCON 2025

Nigeria will face Venezuela in Houston this November as part of their final build-up to the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, Soccernet.ng reports.

The friendly, scheduled for Friday, November 14 at the Shell Energy Stadium, will be the Super Eagles’ first outing at the venue and is seen as an important test before the continental tournament kicks off in December.

For Venezuela, it is a return to Houston after playing Guatemala in a goalless draw at the same ground earlier this year.

They come into the fixture on the back of a mixed qualifying campaign that ended with heavy defeats to Argentina and Colombia, leaving coach Fernando Batista searching for a stronger defensive balance.

For Nigeria, the match offers more than just an international run-out. Eric Chelle’s side are still navigating a tricky World Cup qualifying group, having edged Rwanda 1-0 before being held to a 1-1 draw by South Africa last week. Sitting third in their group, the Super Eagles will play their final games of the qualifiers in October.

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It will not be the first meeting between the two nations. Nigeria beat Venezuela 3-1 in Miami back in November 2012, with Brown Ideye, Nosa Igiebor and Ogenyi Onazi all on target.

With Nigeria’s World Cup fate already decided by the time, the Venezuela clash will provide the Super Eagles a timely opportunity to test squad depth and sharpen tactics ahead of a more pressing challenge in Morocco.

The Super Eagles have been drawn into Group C at AFCON 2025 alongside Tunisia, Uganda and Tanzania. After losing the last final to Senegal, expectations are high for Nigeria to deliver.

The match in Houston allows Chelle to experiment with combinations and give fringe players a chance to press their case for selection.

AFCON 2025 kicks off on December 21st, with the Super Eagles first match slated for two days later against Tanzania at the Fez Stadium in Fez.