Newsletters
Nigeria’s national team endured a frightening interruption to its journey when a team aircraft carrying Galatasaray star Victor Osimhen and Besiktas star Wilfred Ndidi made an emergency landing in Angola after the cockpit’s front windshield cracked around 25 minutes into the flight.
En route to a 2026 World Cup qualifying trip, the aircraft diverted to Luanda when the pilots detected a crack in the forward cockpit glass and decided to put down as a precaution.
The team and staff were then evacuated from the plane for safety checks.
Thanks to the crew’s quick response, the aircraft touched down safely, and there were no immediate reports of injuries among players or officials. The safe landing brought a tense episode to a close without further incident.
Following the diversion, the plan is to route first to Lagos and then onward to Uyo, keeping preparations in place for the upcoming qualifier as logistics are reworked.
2 min read
