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By Peter Akinbo
The camp of the Super Eagles in Uyo is bubbling following the arrival of all but three of the eight players who were expected to join the team on Monday ahead of the crucial 2026 World Cup qualifying games against South Africa and Benin Republic, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The players were stuck in Abuja and Lagos after the organised labour strike grounded flights across the country on Monday.
Five of the players landed on Tuesday afternoon in Uyo, where 15 out of the invited 23 players had started training since Sunday.
The eight players were supposed to join camp on Monday but according to the update late on Monday, Semi Ajayi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Calvin Bassey, midfielder Frank Onyeka, forward Paul Onuachu, Maduka Okoye, Alex Iwobi and Ademola Lookman were left stranded in Lagos and Abuja respectively due to the nationwide strike, which was called of on Tuesday as negotiations between government and labour continue.
The latest update from the team’s media officer Promise Efoghe on Tuesday afternoon stated that five of the eight players, Bassey, Ajayi, Osayi-Samuel, Onyeka and Onuachu arrived Uyo aboard a private jet arranged by the Nigeria Football Federation, and were driven to the team’s Ibom Hotel and Resorts to meet up with teammates in time for lunch.
Trio Lookman, Iwobi and Okoye are expected to join camp.
Nigeria, in third position with two points from two games, play Bafana Bafana of South Africa at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in the Akwa Ibom capital, before traveling to Abidjan to engage Benin Republic on match-day 4 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Nigeria and South Africa go toe-to-toe in a rematch of this year’s Africa Cup of Nations first semi-final, which the Super Eagles trumped 4-2 after penalty shootout at the Stade de la Paix in Bouake.
Three-time African champions Nigeria, who have reached the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup on three occasions, missed out on the last edition in Qatar, and after a sluggish start to the qualifiers, need all three points on offer to be in strong contention for the only ticket from Group C as the campaign drags on.
Rwanda are surprise leaders of the group after two match days, on four points, with second-placed South Africa on three and Nigeria on two.
The 10-match series will end October next year, with winners of the nine groups qualifying automatically for the 2026 finals in Canada, USA and Mexico.
The best four second-placed teams in all nine groups will contest a CAF Play-off Tournament, with the winners going ahead to contest a FIFA Play-off Tournament for another slot.