Nigeria’s Super Eagles have cancelled their scheduled international friendlies against Venezuela and Colombia in the United States next month, opting instead to focus fully on their campaign to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The friendlies, originally set for November 14 in Houston and November 18 in New York, were called off after the fixtures clashed with the newly confirmed dates for Africa’s crucial World Cup playoff matches, now slated to take place in Morocco during the same international window.

According to an official of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the potential for a scheduling conflict was anticipated in advance and included in the match agreements.

“We had a clause in the contract for the games covering this eventuality, if we qualified for the playoffs,” the NFF official told ESPN. “So we will not be going ahead with the matches any more. Our goal is to concentrate on the playoffs now and qualify from Africa and then focus on the intercontinental playoffs.”

The decision underscores the federation’s renewed commitment to ensuring Nigeria returns to the biggest stage in world football, after failing to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

With the African playoff stage now confirmed for November 2025, the Super Eagles will ramp up preparations, beginning with a high-stakes opening clash against Gabon.

The NFF is expected to release a revised training and match schedule in the coming weeks as the team enters a critical phase of its qualification journey. Players, staff, and management are all expected to be fully mobilised, with no distractions as the team sets its sights on securing one of Africa’s coveted World Cup spots.