Nigeria’s quest to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has received a fresh boost after the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) confirmed it has submitted a petition to FIFA over the alleged use of ineligible players by DR Congo during the African play-offs.
The move could reopen Nigeria’s path to the World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
DR Congo knocked Nigeria out of the African play-offs in November after a 4–3 penalty shoot-out victory in Morocco, a defeat that appeared to end the Super Eagles’ World Cup ambitions.
Following that result, the Congolese were handed a bye into the final of the FIFA intercontinental play-off, where they are due to face the winner of the semi-final between New Caledonia and Jamaica.
However, their progression is now under scrutiny after the NFF raised concerns about the eligibility of several DR Congo players who featured in the play-off encounter.
Reports suggest that between six and nine players who switched nationality to represent DR Congo may not have fully complied with the country’s domestic legal requirements before playing for the team.
Although FIFA reportedly cleared the players on the basis that they possessed valid DR Congo passports, the NFF alleges that the players failed to formally renounce their previous citizenships, contrary to the country’s constitution, which does not permit dual nationality.
A member of the NFF executive board told PUNCH Online that the federation had taken the necessary steps.
“DR Congo’s constitution does not allow dual citizenship, and about six to nine players had that status during the play-off,” the official said. “That is the loophole we are exploring, and our lawyers must have submitted the relevant documents to FIFA.”
NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, also confirmed that the federation had challenged the players’ nationality switches.
“The Congolese rules are clear: you cannot have dual citizenship or nationality,” Sanusi said. “Wan-Bissaka has a European passport; some others have French passports, while others hold Dutch passports. We have submitted our petition.
“FIFA rules say that once you have a country’s passport, you are eligible, which is why they were cleared,” he added. “But our concern is that FIFA was misled into clearing them. FIFA acts based on what is submitted to it, not on domestic regulations. What we are saying is that the process was fraudulent.”
The development has renewed optimism that Nigeria could yet return to the World Cup stage, after missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar and facing the prospect of missing back-to-back editions.
DR Congo have appeared at the FIFA World Cup only once, in 1974, when the country competed under the name Zaire.
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