International Football
WORLD CUP DRAW: NIGERIA AND POT 2 TEAMS
BY KUNLE SOLAJA, seven consecutive World Cup reporter.
One of Nigeria’s three opponents at the group stage of the World Cup will come from Pot 2 which comprises of Spain, Peru, Switzerland, England, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay and Croatia.
Nigeria has had previous encounters with all except Croatia. The remotest encounter that could be linked with Croatia was Nigeria facing Yugoslavia in a friendly match in 1998. Croatia was a part of the former Yugoslavia.
Pot 2 is headed by Spain, a team Nigeria had met twice in competitive encounters. The first was the opening Group D match of France ’98 in Nantes which Nigeria won 3-2. The second was a 3-0 defeat of Nigeria at the 2013 FIFA Confederation Cup in Brazil.
Nigeria and Peru had met once. Nigeria lost the friendly match played in Lima on May 23, 2012 by a lone goal. The match with Switzerland, another Pot 2 team ended 1-0 in favour of Nigeria. Thanks to the solitary goal scored by Taiye Taiwo in the November 20, 2007 match played in Zurich.
The late former Nigerian manager, Amodu Shuaibu made his debut with an encounter with England at the old Wembley Stadium on November 16, 1994 when Nigeria also unveiled its new Nike kit. England won the match 1-0, courtesy of David Platt’s goal.
Super Eagles’ Finidi George challenges England’s Dennis Wise from behind during the England versus Nigeria football match at Wembley Stadium.
The two teams waited till the World Cup of 2002 before meeting again. This time a star-studded England team was held to a goalless draw in Osaka, Japan in a match Vincent Enyeama had the first of eight World Cup matches.
Colombia, another Pot 2 team had met Nigeria four times. If the Olympic Games match of Moscow 1980 were to be counted, the number of matches increases to five.
The June 25, 1980 Olympics Games match is downplayed on account that FIFA does not count it as grade A, even though Nigeria, like most other non-European nations at the time fielded their Grade A side. Nigeria lost that last group match 0-1 to Colombia.
In the proper grade A encounters, Colombia beat Nigeria 1-0 in a April 17, 1994 friendly match, both played as part of preparations for the USA ’94 World Cup. They met again in a USA Gold Cup encounter the following year. Colombia again prevailed 1-0. In November 2008, Colombia again beat Nigeria, 1-0 in another friendly encounter.
The most recent encounter of both countries is a 2010 friendly match which ended, 1-1. Encounters with Mexico are also on the rise. Both have met five times, but Nigeria is yet to win. The best result had been the four drawn matches while Mexico won once – the USA Gold Cup encounter of 1995 which ended 2-1.
The most recent of the five encounters was the goalless draw was the March 2014 in the USA as part of preparation for the Brazil 2014 World Cup.
Diego Forlán was handed a splendid 100th cap celebration when Uruguay beat Nigeria 2-1 in a FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil 2013. That is the only encounter ever between Nigeria and Uruguay.
Croatia has never met Nigeria.
Aliou Cisse has been named coach of the Angola national team, the country’s football federation (FAF) announced on Thursday, 24 hours after the Senegalese left his post in Libya.
The 50-year-old coach, who led Senegal to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022, ended his short stint with the Libyan national team on Wednesday, after taking charge in March 2025.
“Welcome, Aliou Cisse, head coach of the Angola national team,” the FAF said on Facebook. Angola, which failed to reach this year’s World Cup, will start their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign in September.
-Reuters
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Nigeria’s Super Eagles were held to a 2-2 draw by FIFA World Cup-bound Jordan in an eventful international friendly in Antalya on Tuesday night, with the contest overshadowed by a late red card to Alex Iwobi.
Iwobi, making his 98th appearance for the national team, was sent off in the closing stages, capping a dramatic encounter in which Nigeria surrendered a first-half lead and finished the game with ten men.
The match, played at the Mardan Sports Complex, brought Nigeria’s March international window to a close, but it proved anything but routine as both sides delivered a fiercely contested and entertaining clash.
Jordan, ranked 64th in the world and enjoying strong recent form, struck first in the 17th minute through Mousa Tamari. A well-worked free-kick routine caught the Nigerian defence napping, allowing the forward to fire home the opener.
Nigeria responded quickly and thought they had equalised six minutes later when Raphael Onyedika finished from a Moses Simon cut-back, but the goal was controversially ruled out.
The Super Eagles eventually drew level in the 30th minute. Stand-in captain Moses Simon, earning his 97th cap, reacted fastest after Ademola Lookman’s effort was blocked, slotting home with a composed left-footed finish for his second goal in as many matches.
Nigeria went ahead four minutes before halftime when Bright Osayi-Samuel’s pinpoint cross found debutant Emmanuel Fernandez, who showed great composure to control and finish, giving the three-time African champions a 2-1 lead at the interval.
The second half took on a more physical tone, with goalkeeper Francis Uzoho forced off in the 57th minute after sustaining an injury while clearing the ball. Adebayo Adeleye replaced him between the posts.
Head coach Eric Chelle introduced Wilfred Ndidi and Alex Iwobi to shore up the midfield, but Jordan continued to press and were rewarded with an equaliser in the 77th minute.
Nigeria pushed for a winner late on, handing a senior debut to Philip Otele, while Samuel Chukwueze came on for Moses Simon. However, the closing moments were marred by Iwobi’s dismissal, leaving the Super Eagles to see out the match with ten men.
Despite the draw, the encounter offered valuable insights for the coaching crew as Nigeria continues preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
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By Kunle Solaja
Match Context
- Fixture: Jordan vs Nigeria
- Venue: Antalya, Turkey
- Occasion: Four-Nation Invitational Tournament
- Kick-off: Tuesday (evening)
They would have loved facing Jamaica in Mexico today for a place at the World Cup, but fate has other plans, and Nigeria’s Super Eagles will be taking on World Cup debutants Jordan in a friendly match instead in Turkey.
The encounter promises to be a revealing contest for both sides as preparations intensify for future global assignments.
The encounter, staged as part of a four-nation tournament in Turkey, will be the third meeting between the two countries, with the head-to-head record finely poised.
History Beckons in Third Meeting
Nigeria claimed a 2-0 victory in their first clash at the National Stadium, Lagos, on 28 April 2004 during the LG Cup.
However, the tables turned in 2013 when a largely experimental Nigerian side under the late Stephen Keshi suffered a 1-0 defeat in Amman, courtesy of a Hatem Aqel penalty.
This latest meeting now serves as the decider in what has quietly become a balanced rivalry.
Jordan arrive in buoyant mood, riding on the crest of a historic achievement, which is their first-ever qualification for the FIFA World Cup (2026).
Jordan’s Al-Nashama
Their recent form underlines a team growing in confidence and tactical discipline. In the past months, Al-Nashama have:
- Held Russia (0-0)
- Defeated Dominican Republic (3-0)
- Drawn with Mali (0-0)
- Narrowly lost to Bolivia (1-0) and Albania (4-2)
- Pushed Tunisia (3-2 loss) in a competitive encounter
They also opened this invitational tournament with a 2-2 draw against Costa Rica, further evidence of their resilience.
The team’s preparations have been boosted by a morale-lifting visit from Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein, President of the Jordan Football Association, during their Antalya training camp.
Coach Jamal Al-Salami has deliberately scheduled matches against Nigeria and Costa Rica, citing their stylistic similarity to World Cup opponents such as Argentina, Austria, and Algeria.
Despite missing several key players, including star forward Mousa Ta’mari, Jordan have continued to show depth, blending senior players with youth prospects as part of a broader developmental strategy.
Nigeria head into the clash with renewed confidence after a 2-1 victory over Iran in their opening game of the tournament, with goals from Moses Simon and Akor Adams.
Unlike previous meetings, the Super Eagles are expected to field a full-strength squad, packed with Europe-based stars, something Jordanian observers have already described as a “heavyweight challenge.”
The squad boasts a blend of experience and attacking flair.
The presence of multiple attacking options gives Nigeria a clear edge going forward, while their physicality and pace could pose serious problems for the Jordanians.
Jordan are expected to adopt a compact, disciplined shape, relying on quick transitions and defensive organisation, qualities that earned them results against stronger opposition in recent friendlies.
Nigeria, by contrast, will likely dominate possession, using width and individual brilliance to break down Jordan’s defensive lines.
The key battle may lie in midfield, where Jordan’s structure will be tested against Nigeria’s blend of strength, technique, and tempo.
For Jordan, this is another step in fine-tuning a squad preparing for its historic World Cup debut—a chance to measure themselves against elite opposition.
For Nigeria, it is an opportunity to assert authority, build cohesion among its star-studded squad, and maintain momentum ahead of more competitive fixtures.
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