Nigeria canceled plans to play in the three-nation Kirin Cup 2003 soccer tournament in June because of concerns about SARS.
The Japan Football Association said Tuesday organizers must decide whether to pick a replacement for the African nation or cancel the event entirely. That decision was expected later Tuesday, said association spokesman Hideto Teshima.
Nigeria was chosen as a replacement for Portugal, which pulled out earlier this month due to the SARS scare.
Japan was to play Argentina on June 8 in Osaka and Nigeria on June 11 in Saitama.
Japan lost 2-0 to Argentina at Saitama in November.
Nervous about the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome, soccer authorities have postponed or abandoned a series of international events in Asia, including Olympic qualifiers.
FIFA switched the women's World Cup from China, which has recorded the majority of the more than 560 SARS deaths worldwide.