Nigeria and Poland clash in friendly match

Two countries that just missed out on the 2026 World Cup will meet today as Poland hosts Nigeria in a friendly at the PGE Narodowy in Warsaw. Both teams are looking to bounce back after their recent disappointments.

Nigeria could not qualify for the World Cup for the second time in a row. They lost to DR Congo in the final of the African playoffs last November. Poland, on the other hand, missed out after losing to Sweden in the UEFA qualification play-offs.

Since missing the World Cup, the Super Eagles have started rebuilding under coach Eric Chelle. They finished third at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. In their last four matches, they have won three and scored at least two goals in each game.

Poland, led by Jan Urban, is also looking to recover from their recent loss. They lost 2, 0 to Ukraine on Sunday in Wrocław. Goals from Roman Yaremchuk and Andriy Yarmolenko in the first half decided that match.

Poland has not kept a clean sheet in their last five matches. They have conceded at least two goals in three of those games. Coach Urban will be worried about his team’s defensive issues.

Before facing Nigeria, Poland risks losing three matches in a row for the first time in over three years. They have not gone three games without a win since a five-match winless streak between September and November 2024.

However, there is some positive news for Poland. The loss to Ukraine was their first friendly defeat since 2018. Interestingly, Nigeria handed them one of their friendly losses that year, winning 1, 0 in March 2018.

Currently, Nigeria is ranked 26th in the FIFA rankings, nine places ahead of Poland at 35th. The Super Eagles are unbeaten in their last five matches, with four wins and one draw. Their last defeat was a penalty shootout loss to Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals earlier this year. They finished third in the tournament after beating Egypt in the third-place match.

Ahead of today's game, Nigeria is coming off a 3, 0 victory over Jamaica in the Unity Cup final. Alhassan Yusuf scored twice, and Terem Moffi also got on the scoresheet.

Nigeria has a psychological advantage from their only previous match against Poland, which they won 1, 0 in 2018. But they have struggled against European teams since then, with just one win in their last eight matches, including two draws and five losses.

Poland will likely rely on veteran striker Robert Lewandowski to lead the attack. He aims to add to his impressive tally of 89 international goals.

Nigeria will miss key players Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman for this match and the upcoming friendly against Portugal.