The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has lost its petition against the Fédération Congolaise de Football Association’s alleged player ineligibility, ending the Super Eagles’ hopes of returning to the race for a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup through the intercontinental play-off.
The world football governing body FIFA reached its final decision on Monday, 17 February, and has formally communicated the verdict to all federations involved in the dispute.
However, the source disclosed that FIFA has directed the parties not to make any public announcement, as the responsibility for officially releasing the decision lies solely with the global body.
According to the source, FIFA ruled that the NFF’s argument was not strong enough to prevent DR Congo from progressing to the intercontinental play-offs scheduled for March. As a result, the petition filed by Nigeria was dismissed.
The decision means the Super Eagles will not participate in the six-nation intercontinental play-off tournament, effectively ending their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States of America, Canada and Mexico.
The dispute arose from Nigeria’s 4-3 penalty shoot-out defeat to DR Congo in Morocco last November during the African play-off final. That loss denied the Super Eagles direct qualification for the expanded global tournament.
On 15 December 2025, the NFF formally petitioned FIFA, alleging that six Congolese players who had recently switched international allegiance were not eligible to feature in the decisive fixture.
At the time, officials of the Nigerian federation publicly expressed confidence in the strength of their case.
NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, had said: “We have a good case. As far as we are concerned, we have a strong case, and we are awaiting FIFA’s decision on the complaints we have lodged.”
Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko, also voiced optimism in earlier remarks, stating his belief that Nigeria would receive a favourable outcome.Activewear
In the weeks leading up to the verdict, reports emerged suggesting that DR Congo was confident of surviving the challenge. Sports247 reported that senior football figures from Congo and other Francophone countries were lobbying within FIFA circles.
“According to very reliable sources, Mosengo-Omba and top football executives from Congo and some Francophone countries are allegedly using their strong influence in FIFA to lobby for a favourable decision in this matter,” the Sports247 report stated.
