The South African national football team, Bafana Bafana, is now in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital, preparing for their epic encounter with the Nigerian Super Eagles in the 2026 World Cup qualifier.
The match will be at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, at 8.00 pm tomorrow, Friday, June 7.
The South Africans finally reached Uyo after a long 18-hour journey from home. Their charted flight was diverted to Obafemi Awolowo International Airport, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, yesterday because the Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo, was closed when their aircraft entered Nigerian airspace.
They arrived in Uyo at about 11.00 am this morning.
A tweet from South Africa’s official X page said, “Bafana Bafana have been on the road for 18 hours and still not at the base in Nigeria. The team is currently at Port Harcourt Airport, where they cleared customs and are awaiting transfer to the hotel to spend the night. Uyo airport had closed when the team was scheduled to take off.”
The Crucial Encounter
As they compete for the top spot in Group C, this match is crucial for both African heavyweights.
Nigeria will rise to the group’s top if they defeat South Africa.
Nigeria is third in the group, with two points from their two matches against Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
Runner-up with three points from two games, South Africa, on the other hand, will want to secure the top slot even further. Comparatively, the two nations had previously met fourteen times. South Africa only managed two wins, whereas the Super Eagles won seven and drew five.
Coach Finidi George will be without top striker, Victor Osimhen due to injury but the team is blessed with loads of star players like Ademola Lookman, Victor Boniface and others.
The Hugo Broos tutored side will see the Friday encounter as revenge for their AFCON semi-final exit in Ivory Coast on February 7.
The last match between both countries was the penalty shootout during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) semi-finals, which Nigeria won.
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