Nigeria vs Tanzania: what we know about the date, the venue and Osimhen

Editor's note: Update, 23 October: the NFF says Uyo stays the home venue for now because Teslim Balogun Stadium is not ready yet. Read the latest.

Nigeria's next two games are the most important of the qualifying campaign so far. After a 2-1 win over Madagascar in Uyo and a 3-0 defeat in Bissau, the Super Eagles are second in Group L on three points. Guinea-Bissau lead on six.

Tanzania are co-hosts of AFCON 2027 and have already qualified, so the group sends only one other team to the finals. That makes the November double-header simple to describe and hard to do: Nigeria need to win both games and hope Guinea-Bissau drop points. Our AFCON qualifying explainer walks through the full group format.

Uyo or Lagos?

The Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo has hosted every Super Eagles home game since 2022, including the win over Madagascar in September. Soccernet NG reported on 12 October that the Tanzania game could move to the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos, which has been renovated and now has a natural grass pitch.

The same report says CAF has not approved the venue and the reason for the possible move has not been confirmed. The Nigerian Observer adds that the NFF has not officially confirmed any change. Until CAF or the NFF announce it, treat Uyo as the default and Lagos as a possibility.

Why the dates are unclear

Published fixture listings do not agree. Some put the home game on Wednesday 11 November with the return on 15 November. Others list Friday 13 November and Tuesday 17 November. Both fit inside the international window, and neither has come from an official NFF announcement that we can find. We will confirm the date and kick-off time on our fixtures board as soon as the NFF or CAF publishes them.

Osimhen is back playing

Victor Osimhen missed the September and October games with a groin injury picked up in Galatasaray's 3-2 win over Istanbul Basaksehir on 4 September. He was out for 35 days.

He returned on Friday 9 October, coming on in the 77th minute of Galatasaray's 3-1 win over Kasimpasa at RAMS Park and setting up Mario Lemina's stoppage-time goal, according to P.M. News. ESPN reported that he was back in contention for Galatasaray's Champions League game against Barcelona.

Several Nigerian outlets, including OwnGoal Nigeria, report that Osimhen will be recalled for Tanzania along with Kelechi Iheanacho, who scored in the 3-3 draw with Russia. Those are reports, not an official squad. Eric Chelle has not named his list yet.

Nigeria vs Tanzania lineups

There are no confirmed lineups yet, because Eric Chelle has not named his squad for the November games. Teams usually confirm their starting XI about an hour before kick-off, and we will publish the Nigeria and Tanzania lineups on matchday. Until then, you can pick your own Super Eagles XI and compare it with other fans.

The last time they met

Nigeria and Tanzania met at AFCON 2025 in Morocco. In their Group C opener in Fes on 23 December 2025, Nigeria won 2-1: Semi Ajayi headed in from an Alex Iwobi assist in the 36th minute, Charles M'Mombwa equalised early in the second half, and Ademola Lookman restored the lead two minutes later, again set up by Iwobi. Published head-to-head records for older meetings disagree, so we have not printed an all-time total.

What has to change

The results of the last window point to the same problem. Nigeria conceded three in Bissau and three in Nizhny Novgorod, and Chelle's side gave up three goals in consecutive games for the first time under him. We looked at why in Bissau exposed the Super Eagles midfield, and covered the late fightback in Russia 3-3 Nigeria.

Osimhen's return helps the attack. But the November games will be won or lost in front of Nigeria's own penalty area, and that is where Chelle's selection deserves the closest look.