The Democratic Republic of Congo’s football authorities have issued a stern warning to Nigeria against attempting to secure a “backdoor” qualification for the 2026 World Cup, as FIFA reportedly investigates allegations of player ineligibility involving the Leopards.
The controversy erupted following reports that the Super Eagles’ faint hopes of reaching the global showpiece were revived by a potential disciplinary case against DR Congo. Under FIFA rules, if a team fields an ineligible player, they forfeit the match, a scenario that could mathematically benefit Nigeria in Group C.
However, the Congolese Football Association (FECOFA) has moved swiftly to dismiss the claims, insisting that all players used during the qualifying campaign are fully documented and eligible.
”We want to state clearly that all our players are eligible. Nigeria should focus on their performance on the pitch rather than seeking a backdoor entry to the World Cup,” a Congolese official stated, according to reports reaching ANN.
DR Congo eliminated Nigeria from the African play-offs in November after a 4–3 penalty shoot-out victory in Morocco, a result that ended the Super Eagles’ hopes of progressing to the FIFA intercontinental play-off.
The Congolese side 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.
However, their participation at that stage could now be in doubt following concerns raised by the NFF over the eligibility of several DR Congo players fielded during the African play-offs.
Recall that on Monday, Nigeria’s officials confirmed that they had submitted a petition to FIFA to look into the eligibility of the players fielded by Congo.
“NFF has done the needful,” a member of the federation’s executive board said.
“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.”
NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, also confirmed that the NFF has faulted the players’ switch.
“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,” Sanusi explained. “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.”
FIFA has yet to release an official statement regarding the specifics of the eligibility probe, but the outcome could have seismic implications for the final standings of the African qualifiers.
