Tension mounted on Monday as Nigeria awaited a ruling from FIFA over a petition challenging the eligibility of players fielded by DR Congo in last November’s 2026 World Cup African play-offs.
The protest, lodged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), alleges that DR Congo featured players who did not properly complete the process of switching national allegiance in line with FIFA statutes.
With the intercontinental play-offs fixed for March 26 to 31 in Mexico, uncertainty continues to trail Nigeria’s World Cup hopes.
The Nigeria national football team failed to secure automatic qualification during the group series but progressed to the African play-offs, where they lost to DR Congo on penalties. DR Congo have since been drawn to face the winner of the tie between New Caledonia and Jamaica for one of the two remaining World Cup tickets.
Despite widespread speculation and unconfirmed reports circulating on Monday, NFF President Ibrahim Gusau said the federation had yet to receive any official communication.
“We are still waiting to hear from FIFA. We are hopeful, by the grace of God,” Gusau said.
Read Also: FIFA Takes Up Nigeria’s Petition Against DR Congo Over Alleged Use of Ineligible Players
At the heart of Nigeria’s complaint is the alleged improper switch of nationality by some DR Congo players.
Under FIFA regulations, a player may apply to change the national association they represent only once. The process must be formalised through a written and substantiated application and approved by FIFA’s Players’ Status Committee. The player is also required to hold a passport of the new country, even where another nationality is held.
Nigeria is understood to be relying heavily on the provision that Congolese law does not recognise dual nationality, a factor believed to be central to the protest.
NFF General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi, maintained that the federation would not have pursued the case without confidence in its merits.
“We believe that we have a chance; that is why we petitioned. If we knew we didn’t have a chance, we wouldn’t have petitioned. That is our submission — it is now left to FIFA to decide,” he told The PUNCH.
Among the players, there remains cautious hope that the decision could reopen Nigeria’s path to the Mundial.
“We’re still waiting, hopefully we can go to the World Cup,” midfielder Alex Iwobi said recently.
Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, indicated that the dispute could stretch beyond FIFA’s ruling, with a possible appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“It requires a lot of things, and by the time it is finally decided, whether Nigeria wins or DR Congo wins, I believe the case might even go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport,” Dikko said in Morocco last month.
“For us, we are waiting to see how it goes. All I know is that FIFA is still handling the petition,” he added.
The 2026 World Cup is scheduled to hold from June 11 to July 19 across 16 cities in the three host nations, leaving Nigeria in a race against time as it awaits FIFA’s verdict.
