The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed that it has initiated a formal probe into the Democratic Republic of Congo’s alleged use of ineligible players during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, a move that could potentially reopen Nigeria’s route to the global tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
DR Congo had knocked Nigeria out of the African play-offs in November after edging the Super Eagles 4–3 on penalties in Morocco, a result that appeared to end Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the FIFA intercontinental play-off.
Following that victory, the Congolese side was handed a bye into the final of the intercontinental play-off tournament, where they are scheduled to face the winner of the semi-final clash between New Caledonia and Jamaica. However, their place at that stage is now under scrutiny.
According to reports, the NFF raised concerns over the eligibility of several DR Congo players who featured in the African play-offs. It is alleged that between six and nine players who switched national allegiance did not fully comply with Congolese nationality laws before representing the country.
While FIFA reportedly cleared the players on the grounds that they held valid DR Congo passports, the NFF argues that the players failed to formally renounce their previous citizenships, a requirement under DR Congo’s constitution, which does not recognise dual nationality.
An NFF executive board member told PUNCH Online that the federation has already taken the necessary steps.
“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 confirmed that the federation has formally challenged the players’ eligibility.
“We’re waiting. The Congolese rules say you cannot have dual citizenship or nationality,” Sanusi stated. “Wan-Bissaka has a European passport; some of them have French passports, others Dutch passports. The rules are very clear, and we have submitted our petition.”
He further explained that while FIFA cleared the players based on passport possession, the federation believes FIFA was misled.
“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. It is not FIFA’s responsibility to enforce Congo’s domestic regulations; FIFA acts based on what is submitted to it. What we are saying is that the process was fraudulent,” Sanusi added.
The development has reignited hopes that Nigeria could yet qualify for the 2026 World Cup, after missing out on the 2022 edition in Qatar.
DR Congo, for their part, have appeared at the FIFA World Cup only once, in 1974, when they competed under the name Zaire.
