TheCable

Nigeria’s friendly against England will be played on June 2 at the Wembley Stadium.

The friendly match will serve as a warm-up for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Seyi Akinwunmi, NFF first vice president, confirmed this in a statement on Wednesday.

“The match is now confirmed. We had been doing a lot of work in the background, even going back to last year,” Akinwunmi said.

“Now, we are happy to say that it is all sealed. Certainly, it is going to be a big match, between two countries of remarkable historical affinity and similarities.

“We have other matches and programs for the team, and we will soon roll out the entire plan for matches, camping sites and training camps.

“We decided to be strategic in our choice of opponents for the Super Eagles leading to the World Cup, and in total agreement with the preferences of the technical adviser.

“That is why we opted for England. We played Argentina (in November 2017) without even knowing we were going to be in the same group at the Finals.”

Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr said the friendly will “test” Nigeria’s readiness for the World Cup.

He said: “This is good news for myself and the entire team. England is a very strong team presently and I believe they will give us a very good match. We will be able to test our readiness for the World Cup when we meet the Three Lions at Wembley.”

The friendly will serve as the Super Eagles’ final preparatory game before their first World Cup match against Croatia.