Nigeria’s Super Eagles will face one of their toughest examinations under head coach Éric Chelle when they take on Portugal in an international friendly at the Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa in Leiria on Wednesday night.
Although officially a friendly, the encounter presents an opportunity for both teams to measure their progress against quality opposition. Portugal are using the fixture as their final preparation before the start of their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, while Nigeria will look to extend an impressive run of results that has restored confidence around the national team.
The Super Eagles head into the clash unbeaten in their last five matches, recording victories over Zimbabwe and Jamaica and earning draws against Iran, Jordan and Poland. Their most recent outing saw them fight back from a two-goal deficit to secure a 2-2 draw against Poland in Warsaw.
Since taking charge, Chelle has steadily built a competitive and resilient squad capable of competing against top opposition. The Franco-Malian coach has suffered just one defeat in regulation time during his tenure, overseeing a run that includes a third-place finish at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and triumph at the Unity Cup earlier this year.
Standing in Nigeria’s path is a Portugal side packed with international stars and carrying strong momentum of their own. Roberto Martinez’s team are unbeaten in their last four matches and will be eager to continue that run before opening their World Cup campaign against DR Congo.
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo headlines a squad that also features Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Rafael Leão, João Félix, Ruben Dias and Diogo Dalot, giving the Portuguese strength in every department.
Portugal’s latest outing ended in a 2-1 victory over Chile, with Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes producing another influential display after contributing both a goal and an assist.
Despite being without leading forwards Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, Nigeria travel to Portugal with renewed belief. Samuel Chukwueze returns after missing the recent friendly against Poland, while Moses Simon, Terem Moffi, Paul Onuachu, Akor Adams and Philip Otele offer a variety of attacking options.
The Super Eagles have, however, been forced into a defensive reshuffle following the injury-enforced departure of centre-back Igoh Ogbu. Calvin Bassey, Semi Ajayi and Emmanuel Fernandez remain available, while Abdullahi Bewene could retain his place after an impressive debut against Poland.
Nigeria will also honour Alex Iwobi before kick-off as the Fulham midfielder prepares to make his 100th appearance for the national team, becoming one of a select group of players to reach the milestone.
The two nations last met in November 2022 when Portugal secured a 4-0 victory in Lisbon. However, Wednesday’s contest presents a different challenge, with a rejuvenated Nigerian side seeking to demonstrate its progress against one of Europe’s leading football nations.
With Portugal fine-tuning their World Cup preparations and Nigeria eager to extend an impressive unbeaten run, Leiria is set to host a compelling contest between two ambitious teams.
