With some luck and last-minute scrambling, Delta Air Lines managed to step in at the eleventh hour to fly the Nigerian men's soccer team to Brazil in time for its first match in the Olympics Thursday evening.

Delta said it got a call late Wednesday and initially determined it couldn’t accommodate the team on regular flights without displacing other passengers.

But the airline discovered it had an NBA charter plane available to fly the group of more than 30 people, and arranged to fly the team "with no request for payment," according to Delta.

To read more about how the Nigerian soccer team ended up grounded and why there were few other options available to get the athletes to Brazil, get the full story on MyAJC.com.

ajc.com

Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi

icon to expand image

Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi

About the Author

Keep Reading

A Delta plane is seen at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Featured

The city of Brookhaven's mayor and City Council last week decided to remove the colored panes of glass from the dome of Brookhaven's new City Centre after residents objected to the brightness of the colors, seen here Friday, June 27, 2025. (Reed Williams/AJC)

Credit: Reed Williams/AJC