Nigeria Reawaken World Cup Hopes As FIFA Probes DR Congo Over Player Eligibility

Nigeria’s dreams of making the 2026 World Cup may not be over yet! This is because FIFA is investigating the DR Congo over player eligibility in the play-off for the competition.

The Super Eagles lost to the Leopards of DR Congo in November in the final of the African playoffs for the competition.

But the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Secretary General Mohammed Sanusi told Channels Television that Nigeria has written to FIFA to investigate DR Congo’s use of ineligible players during the 2026 FIFA World Cup playoffs in Morocco.

Nigeria are accusing the Congolese FA of deceit in the clearance of players for their national team despite a contravention of the country’s citizenship rules.

Sanusi told reporters that DR Congo’s laws forbids having dual nationality and said many of the country’s players at the playoffs had both Congolese and European passports.

“FIFA cleared the players because FIFA’s eligibility rule is different from DR Congo’s rule. FIFA regulations say that once you have the passport of your country, you are eligible,” the NFF scribe said.

“But our contention is that FIFA was deceived into clearing them. Because it is not the responsibility of FIFA to ensure that the regulations of DR Congo are being abided by. It was on the basis of what was presented to FIFA that the players were cleared. But we are saying it was fraudulent.”

The Super Eagles lost 4-3 in the final of the playoffs, ending their hopes of reaching the tournament in the US, Mexico and Canada.

The Leopards will play the winners of the game between Jamaica and New Caledonia in the final of the intercontinental playoffs for a ticket to the World Cup.

Several players in the Congolese team are foreign-born and were only recently cleared to represent the Leopards.