2026 World Cup: Fresh hope for Super Eagles as NFF moves against DR Congo, petition FIFA

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed that it has initiated an investigation into the eligibility of players fielded by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, a move that could potentially reopen Nigeria’s path to the global showpiece in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

DR Congo had knocked Nigeria out of the African play-offs in November after a dramatic 4–3 penalty shoot-out victory in Morocco, effectively ending the Super Eagles’ hopes of advancing to the FIFA intercontinental play-off.

Following that result, the Congolese side was handed a bye into the final of the intercontinental play-off tournament, where they are due to face the winner of the semi-final clash between New Caledonia and Jamaica.

However, that position is now under threat after concerns raised by the NFF over the eligibility status of several DR Congo players.

According to reports, between six and nine players who switched allegiance to DR Congo may not have fully complied with the country’s nationality laws before representing the national team.

While FIFA reportedly cleared the players on the basis that they held valid DR Congo passports, questions have arisen over whether they formally renounced their previous citizenships, as required by the Congolese constitution, which does not recognise dual nationality.

A senior member of the NFF executive board confirmed that the federation has taken formal steps to challenge the situation.

“NFF has done the needful. Their constitution does not allow dual citizenship, and about six to nine players had that status during the play-off.”

“That is the loophole we are exploring. Our lawyers must have submitted the relevant documents to FIFA as well,” the official said.

NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, also corroborated the development, stating that the federation has formally queried the process through which the players were cleared.

“We’re waiting. The Congolese rules say you cannot have dual citizenship or nationality. Wan-Bissaka has a European passport; some of them have French passports, others Dutch passports,” Sanusi said. “FIFA rules say once you have a passport of your country, you’re eligible, and that is why they were cleared. But our concern is that FIFA was deceived into clearing them. The process, as far as we are concerned, was fraudulent.”

The development has reignited hope within Nigerian football circles, as the Super Eagles had faced the prospect of missing back-to-back World Cups after also failing to qualify for the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

DR Congo, on the other hand, has featured at the FIFA World Cup only once, in 1974, when the country competed under the name Zaire.

Very Nigerian.

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