2026 World Cup qualifiers: Nigeria narrowly avoids disaster mid-flight, what happened

Victor Osimhen

More details have emerged about the mid-flight incident involving Nigeria’s Super Eagles in recent hours as they were en route to Uyo for Matchday 10 of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria narrowly escaped a potential disaster just hours ago. The chartered ValueJet plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Luanda, Angola, after a problem occurred mid-flight. Following Friday’s victory over Lesotho (2-1), the Super Eagles were traveling from Polokwane, South Africa, to Uyo in Nigeria.

The plane had made a routine stopover in Luanda, Angola, to refuel. However, about 25 minutes after takeoff, a loud cracking sound was heard from the windshield, forcing the aircraft to turn back. Witnesses reported that the pilot reacted swiftly, making an emergency U-turn and landing safely in Luanda. All players, officials, and government delegates on board escaped unharmed.

🚨 L'avion transportant les Super Eagles du Nigeria de l’Afrique du Sud vers Uyo a effectué un atterrissage d'urgence à Luanda, en Angola. 🆘

Une forte fissure s’est créé sur le pare-brise de l'avion empêchant le redémarrage de la délégation. pic.twitter.com/KD0HR0xHTM

— Naija Football 🇳🇬 (@NaijaFootball_) October 11, 2025

In an official statement, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) confirmed the incident and praised the crew for their professionalism. "The plane suffered a cracked windshield mid-flight after takeoff, and the pilot did well to guide the aircraft safely to Luanda airport," the NFF said. The same plane had previously transported part of the Super Eagles delegation to South Africa earlier in the week.

In response, the NFF quickly arranged a replacement flight to pick up the delegation and fly them to Uyo. The Super Eagles eventually reached their final destination, the NFF announced on Sunday morning. On Tuesday,