Confirmed: Nigeria to play Argentina friendly in the United States

• Nigeria will face World Cup champions Argentina in an international friendly in the United States next month.
• The Argentina Football Association officially announced on Thursday that Argentina would engage in friendlies against Nigeria and El Salvador, strategically aligning with their Copa America preparations.

The South American giants will kick off their US tour with a clash against El Salvador on March 22 at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Field.

The world champions will then lock horns with Nigeria just four days later at the iconic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The fixture between Argentina and Nigeria was initially slated to take place in Hangzhou and Beijing during Argentina's tour of China from March 18-26.

However, a last-minute change in venue ensued due to a controversy involving Lionel Messi, his club Inter Miami, and the Chinese government.

For Nigeria, this friendly encounter holds paramount importance as it serves as a crucial warm-up ahead of their World Cup qualifier against South Africa in June.

The Super Eagles are currently trailing behind Rwanda and South Africa in the World Cup qualifying campaign after drawing their first two games.

In the most recent encounter between Nigeria and South Africa during the semifinals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d'Ivoire, both teams battled fiercely to a 1-1 draw.

The deadlock persisted through regulation and extra time, ultimately leading to a penalty shootout where Nigeria triumphed over Bafana Bafana, securing their spot in the final.

Unfortunately, the Super Eagles could not clinch the title, succumbing to defeat against the host nation, Cote d'Ivoire, in the final.