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Nigeria’s Super Eagles may soon add a new country to their list of international opponents as plans are underway for a historic friendly against Kosovo, Footynaija reports.
If the talks are completed, it will be the first senior meeting between both nations.
The idea was revealed after Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister, Glauk Konjufca, visited the Director General of the National Sports Commission, Bukola Olopade, in Abuja. During the meeting, Konjufca said football could help bring the two countries closer while also opening the door for cooperation in other sports.
“We are proposing a friendly match between the Nigeria national team and the Kosovo national team and we are also ready to have capacity building in Judo where we have produced several world and Olympic Champions,” Konjufca said through the NSC media.
The proposed game is still being discussed, with officials from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and Kosovo’s football authorities expected to agree on a date, venue and kick-off time before making an official announcement.
Another international friendly would provide Algeria-linked head coach Eric Chelle another chance to test his players before Nigeria return to competitive action. The Super Eagles have faced teams such as Portugal, Poland, Jamaica, Zimbabwe, Jordan and Iran in recent months as the coaching staff continue to assess the squad.
Kosovo, known as the Dardanians, are still a young football nation. They played their first international match in 2014 and became FIFA members two years later. Coached by Franco Foda, they narrowly missed a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after losing 1-0 to Turkey in the European play-offs before bouncing back with a 3-0 friendly victory over Andorra. They also showed their quality with a 5-0 win over Burkina Faso in 2022.
Nigeria will still enter the contest with the stronger football pedigree. The Super Eagles have played at six FIFA World Cups, won three Africa Cup of Nations titles, claimed Olympic gold in 1996 and lifted the FIFA U-17 World Cup five times. Kosovo have never reached a World Cup or European Championship, but their highest-ever FIFA ranking of 78th and experienced players like Amir Rrahmani and Vedat Muriqi mean they could provide a tough challenge if the friendly goes ahead.
