The General Secretary of NFF, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, has confirmed that the first 500 persons to buy match tickets for Tuesday’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match between Nigeria and Zimbabwe at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo will get a Super Eagles’ home jersey.

“We are calling on Nigerians to come out in large numbers to support the Super Eagles on Tuesday. The team needs the support.

“When we played Rwanda in Kigali on Friday, the Rwandans filled up the Amahoro Stadium to its full capacity. Let our people also come out in throngs and cheer the Eagles.

“We are also appealing to fans to come to the stadium in Nigerian colours. Let us fill up the stadium in green and white colours, and drum and dance to support the team.”

The NFF has also confirmed that match tickets will be available for sale on match day, with the VIP tickets going for N3000 and the regular seats for the sum of N1000 each.

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Reminiscence of last October’s experience with the Nigeria Super Eagles in Libya, the Libyan immigration officials got the South Sudan football team stranded at the Bernina International Airport in Benghazi, Libya on Sunday.

South Sudan have a World Cup qualifying match with Sudan in Libya.

Sudan play their home matches in Libya. South Sudan arrived in Libya only to witness a nightmare situation similar to that of Nigeria.

 The South Sudan Football Association (SSFA) reported that their delegation was stranded for three hours at the airport due to the absence of representatives from the Sudanese Football Association, who were expected to manage their reception.

Libyan migration authorities seized the passports of the South Sudanese delegation, leaving the team in a state of uncertainty and unable to proceed with their preparations for the crucial match.

A statement attached to a video by the South Sudan Football Association read on X reads: “A footage of Bright Star stranded for staggering three hours at Benina International Airport, Benghazi Libya.

“When the representatives of the Sudanese Football Association failed to turn up at their reception. The passports of the delegation were seized by the Libyan Migration authority.”

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As the Warriors of Zimbabwe brace up for the Match Day 6 encounter with Nigeria in the 2026 World Cup qualifying series on Tuesday, one of the players, Rinomhota has already predicted an away win for the team.

The Zimbabwe Warriors have only beaten Nigeria once in eight previous encounters. The solitary win was on August 1, 1981, when the then Nigerian team, Green Eagles visited in preparation for their last World Cup qualifying duel with Algeria for the 1982 World Cup.

Zimbabwe won the match in Harare by 2-0. In subsequent seven matches, Nigeria won four and drew three, including a famous 3-0 away win in 2004 and an overwhelming 5-1 victory in Abuja in 2005.

 The heatwave in Uyo has added to the heat being encountered by the bottom-placed Zimbabwe who have been without a win in the 2026 World Cup qualifying series.

According to one of Zimbabwe’s newspapers, The Herald, the

Warriors on Sunday trained under punishingly hot and humid conditions as they continued acclimatising to the sweltering climate here in Uyo.

They chose the hottest part of the day for their session and they took regular hydration breaks as they endured the intense heat at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium’s training ground.

According to the publication, temperatures in Uyo peaked at 32°C, with 40 percent humidity and a minimal wind speed of 6km/h – conditions that will persist during Tuesday’s match.

The forecast for kickoff, scheduled for 5pm Zimbabwean time (6pm local), predicts 33°C with 42 percent humidity.

 With the sun expected to set just seven minutes before full-time, players will compete under similarly harsh conditions.

Midfielder Andy Rinomhota, who made his debut in the reverse fixture last November, said the Warriors were adapting well.

“I think it’s going to be quite warm and humid. We’re preparing ourselves, even though the games later.

“We had similar conditions against Cameroon last year in the AFCON qualifiers,” Rinomhota said.

“We’re trying to start the game well. Everyone is focused on acclimatising fully. The conditions are definitely on everyone’s mind.”

Rinomhota believes Zimbabwe can claim an away win, despite sitting at the bottom of Group C with just three points.

“We’re optimistic. We got a result against Nigeria last time, even though it was technically a home game in Rwanda.

“That was my first game – it was a big test, and the team did well to draw.

“This time, we want to go a step further. We respect Nigeria, but not too much. We’ll try to impose ourselves. We’ve come here to get a result and keep pushing towards our goal.”

The Cardiff City midfielder is encouraged by the growing chemistry in the squad.

“I think we’re building momentum and getting games together, and I’m confident we’ll do well.”

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