The Super Eagles of Nigeria have been forced into an emergency landing in Angola after the team’s aircraft suffered a cracked windscreen mid-air.
The Super Eagles were returning to Uyo on Saturday after their 2-1 victory over Lesotho in Polokwane, South Africa, when the incident happened.
In a statement, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said the ValueJet aircraft had stopped over in Luanda, Angola, for refuelling before the windscreen cracked “mid-air after take-off”.
The federation added that “the pilot did well to guide the aeroplane safely back to the airport in Luanda”.
NFF then said the airline and the federal government “are working assiduously to get the necessary overflying and landing permits for another aircraft to fly from Lagos, pick the delegation in Luanda and fly them to Uyo”.
The Super Eagles are scheduled to take on the Squirrels of the Benin Republic in a crucial final match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday in Uyo.
Nigeria must win the match and hope that South Africa fail to defeat Rwanda to seal an automatic ticket for the World Cup.
The Super Eagles are third in Group C with 14 points, behind Benin Republic and South Africa, who are first and second, respectively.
The breakdown of scenarios and permutations that can secure Nigeria an automatic ticket is explained here.
Group C ranking currently
- Benin – 17 pts +5
- South Africa – 15 pts +3
- Nigeria – 14 pts +3
- Rwanda – 11 pts +0
- Lesotho – 9 pts -3
- Zimbabwe – 5 pts -6
