The football federation of the Democratic Republic of Congo has warned Nigeria and the Super Eagles against attempting to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup through what it described as a “backdoor” process.
The reaction followed a petition by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to FIFA, challenging the eligibility of some Congolese players fielded during their recent play-off clash. The match, decided by a 4–3 penalty shoot-out win for DR Congo in Morocco, ended Nigeria’s hopes of progressing to the FIFA intercontinental play-off.
DR Congo has since been handed a bye into the final of the intercontinental play-off tournament, where they are scheduled to face the winner of the semi-final between New Caledonia and Jamaica.
Reports had suggested that between six and nine DR Congo players who switched national allegiance may not have fully complied with eligibility requirements under Congolese law before representing the country.
Although FIFA reportedly cleared the players on the basis that they possessed valid DR Congo passports, it was alleged that they failed to formally renounce their previous citizenships, contrary to the country’s constitution, which does not permit dual nationality.
However, in a post shared on the national team’s official X account on Wednesday, DR Congo dismissed the allegations and accused Nigeria of seeking to overturn the result administratively.
“If you can’t win on the pitch, don’t try to win from the back door. The World Cup must be played with dignity and confidence — not with legal tricks. Bring it on,” ... read.
In another post, the Central African football body shared images of some players who switched nationality, including Aaron Wan-Bissaka, during a visit to President Felix Tshisekedi. Screenshots from FIFA’s “Change of Association platform” were also posted, showing the dates when players’ nationality switches were finalised.
On Monday, Nigerian officials confirmed that a formal petition had been submitted to FIFA over the eligibility of the Congolese players.
NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, also confirmed the petition.
“We’re waiting. The Congolese rules say you cannot have dual citizenship or nationality,” Sanusi said.
“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.
“FIFA rules say once you have a passport of your country, you’re eligible, and that is why they were cleared,” he added.
“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.”
The development has renewed Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, having missed out on the 2022 edition in Qatar.
DR Congo, meanwhile, has appeared at the FIFA World Cup only once, in 1974, when the country competed under the name Zaire.