Nigeria are seeking to keep their World Cup hopes alive by filing an official complaint with Fifa, alleging that the Democratic Republic of Congo fielded ineligible players during last month’s African play-off final.
The Super Eagles were beaten on penalties by DR Congo in Morocco, a result that secured the Leopards a place in March’s intercontinental play-offs, where the final two spots for the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States will be decided.
Nigeria’s protest centres on claims of “fraud” involving several players who recently changed their international allegiance to DR Congo. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) argues that players including Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Axel Tuanzebe should not have been eligible to feature, citing Congolese law, which it says prohibits dual citizenship.
According to NFF general secretary Mohammed Sanusi, Fifa was misled into approving the players’ eligibility. He claimed that while Congolese law forbids dual nationality, some members of the DR Congo squad hold European or French passports, which the NFF believes breaches Fifa regulations.
The NFF says it has submitted legal documentation and evidence to support its case to world football’s governing body. Fifa has been contacted for comment but has yet to respond.
DR Congo’s football federation, Fecofa, has firmly rejected the allegations, dismissing Nigeria’s complaint as an attempt to overturn the result off the pitch. In a statement posted on the national team’s official social media channels, Fecofa accused Nigeria of trying to “win via the back door” and labelled the complaint an act of poor sportsmanship, describing the Super Eagles as “bad losers.”
