The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has lodged a formal protest with FIFA challenging the legality of the participation of several players from the Democratic Republic of Congo national team in the 2026 World Cup qualifying tournament.
In the decisive match of the African qualifiers, Nigeria lost to the Democratic Republic of Congo (1:1, penalties 3:4) and lost the chance to advance to the intercontinental playoff round, writes a Belnovosti correspondent.
According to the Nigerian side, the opposing team included between six and nine players who were not eligible to represent their country, Espn.com reports.
NFF Secretary General Mohammed Sanusi stated that the federation considers the actions of the Congolese side to be a violation of the rules.
According to Sanusi, some players received citizenship in just three months, raising questions about the legality of the procedure.
Many of them hold passports from European countries – France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Great Britain.
Of the 16 players who took to the field in the match against Nigeria, only six were born in the DR Congo.
The rest are natives of European countries.
If FIFA upholds the Nigerian side's complaint, the result of the match could be reviewed, and the Nigerian team could receive a place in the intercontinental playoffs.
The DR Congo national team is currently preparing for a playoff match for a spot at the 2026 World Cup against the winner of the Jamaica-New Caledonia match.
The meeting will take place on March 31 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
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