Nigeria coach Eric Chelle believes Portugal requested a friendly against his side to experience African physicality and intensity ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Speaking ahead of the June clash between the two nations — their second meeting in four years — Chelle suggested the fixture serves as preparation for Portugal against strong African opponents.
“I think they (Portugal) want to play an African team maybe because of the intensity of the game, when I speak about that I speak about physicality,” Chelle said.
He linked the request to Nigeria’s recent World Cup qualifying playoff against DR Congo.
“So this is a good opportunity for Portugal to play against us because we have already played DR Congo in the World Cup qualifying playoffs and lost on penalties, so maybe they want to see the way they will play against them (DR Congo),” the French-born tactician added.
The encounter is expected to provide valuable competitive exposure for both teams as they fine-tune preparations for the expanded global tournament.
