Sports
DR Congo drop two players named in Nigeria’s FIFA petition
The Democratic Republic of Congo have omitted two players mentioned in the Nigeria Football Federation’s complaint to FIFA as they unveiled a 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup intercontinental play-offs.
Head coach Sébastien Desabre announced the Leopards’ squad on Wednesday, retaining the core players who eliminated Nigeria on penalties in the African play-off round while recalling several players absent from the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Captain Chancel Mbemba leads the squad alongside experienced names such as Cedric Bakambu, Yoane Wissa and Samuel Moutoussamy as DR Congo pursue a second appearance at the FIFA World Cup.
However, the squad announcement was notable for the absence of Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Mario Stroeykens, two of the players specifically mentioned in Nigeria’s petition to FIFA over alleged eligibility breaches.
Only Matheu Epolo, the third player highlighted in the Nigerian complaint, was included in the squad.
Nigeria filed the complaint after losing the African play-off tie to DR Congo 4–3 on penalties, arguing that the Congolese football federation misled FIFA in securing nationality switches for several foreign-born players.
The petition, made public on December 15, 2025, requested that FIFA investigate the matter and possibly disqualify DR Congo from the qualification process.
The Nigerian federation listed several foreign-born players who featured in the match against the Super Eagles, including Lionel Mpasi, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Axel Tuanzebe, Arthur Masuaku, Samuel Moutoussamy, Ngal’ayel Mukau, Noah Sadiki, Nathanael Mbuku and Cedric Bakambu.
Nigeria’s complaint also questioned the timeline of FIFA approvals granted to some players shortly before the decisive play-off clash on November 16, 2025.
According to the petition, Michel-Ange Balikwisha, Mario Stroeykens and Matheu Epolo received final clearance to represent DR Congo between November 11 and 12, just days before the encounter.
Balikwisha made his debut in the match against Nigeria and scored in the penalty shoot-out that secured DR Congo’s progression, while Stroeykens was unable to earn his first senior cap after sustaining an injury.
Epolo later made his international debut for DR Congo on December 16, 2025, a day after Nigeria’s complaint became public.
The omission of Balikwisha and Stroeykens from the latest squad has raised questions about whether the Congolese coaching staff are trying to avoid further scrutiny while FIFA continues to review the complaint.
Despite the controversy, DR Congo appear confident heading into the intercontinental play-offs scheduled to take place in Guadalajara and Monterrey.
With FIFA yet to issue a verdict months after Nigeria submitted its protest, the eligibility dispute continues to cast uncertainty over DR Congo’s World Cup qualification hopes.
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