Ola Aina has shared a short but uplifting update on his recovery as the Super Eagles prepare for the decisive World Cup playoffs, Footynaija.com reports.
The 29-year-old has been out since he suffered a hamstring injury during Nigeria’s 1-1 draw with South Africa in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, a match in which he was withdrawn very early.
Nottingham Forest had confirmed that the defender needed a long spell of treatment, and the operation took place in England as part of a structured plan for his rehabilitation.
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The timeline that followed meant that Aina was ruled out of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco and also the coming World Cup qualifying playoffs. His recovery was set to run for months, with the player expected to return at the turn of the new year if all stages progressed as planned.
Aina has been a regular option for Nigeria at right back in recent years, and his absence affects preparations for the coming matches.
These include Gabon in the concluding part of the qualifiers, as well as the AFCON group stage games against Tunisia, Uganda and Tanzania in Morocco. His influence on the flank would have been valuable in these fixtures.
According to a report by Panafricafootball, Aina visited his doctors on Tuesday for an important assessment and later took to Snapchat to share the encouraging outcome with fans. The message he posted read, “And it is clean.”
For the Super Eagles, the timing remains challenging. The World Cup playoffs arrive at a period when experienced defenders are needed, especially in fixtures that decide qualification pathways.
