The Angolan Football Federation (FAF) today regretted the retention of the Angolan football team in the stadium in Benghazi for more than three hours, after the match against Libya, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

In a statement, the FAF said that the Angolan delegation had to wait for more than three hours to leave the stadium, after the fifth round match of Group D of the African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

After the problems encountered upon arrival in Benghazi, the Angolan team had to wait more than three hours to leave the stadium at the end of the match for security reasons, causing a delay in boarding for Luanda, which only took place at three in the morning, with arrival in the country's capital at eight.

The incident occurred 48 hours after the Angolan football team was held at the local airport for more than two hours, without any information, upon arrival in Libyan territory, before the game.

Despite the ups and downs, the Angolans left Libya with one point, thanks to a 1-1 draw, a result that keeps Angola, which has four draws and one win in qualifying, in fourth place with seven points.

On Tuesday, the team coached by Pedro Gonçalves hosts their counterparts from Cape Verde, group leaders with 10 points, after beating Mauritius 1-0 at home, with a goal from Yannick Semedo.

The 54 African countries, according to the new regulations, were divided into nine groups of six teams. The winners of each group automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

The four best second-place finishers will compete in a tournament that will decide which team will represent Africa in an intercontinental playoff, which could increase the number of African countries in the tripartite tournament to 10, to be held in Canada, the United States, and Mexico.