The Nigeria Football Federation has initiated a formal probe into the Democratic Republic of Congo’s use of allegedly ineligible players during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, a dramatic move that could resurrect the Super Eagles’ hopes of reaching the tournament.
DR Congo eliminated Nigeria from the African play-offs last November with a 4-3 penalty shoot-out victory in Morocco, a result that seemingly dashed Nigeria’s chances of progressing to the FIFA intercontinental play-off.
However, the NFF has now petitioned FIFA, raising serious concerns over the eligibility of multiple DR Congo players who featured in that decisive match.
According to reports and NFF officials, between six and nine players who switched allegiance to represent DR Congo may not have complied with the nation’s constitutional ban on dual citizenship.
“FIFA rules say once you have a passport of your country, you’re eligible, and that is why they were cleared,” explained NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, in an exclusive statement to PUNCH Online. “But our concern is that FIFA was deceived into clearing them. What we are saying is that the process was fraudulent.”
The central legal argument hinges on Congolese law, which does not permit dual nationality. While FIFA reportedly cleared the players based on their possession of valid DR Congo passports, the NFF alleges these individuals failed to formally renounce their previous citizenships from European nations—a violation of domestic law that the federation believes invalidates their eligibility.
“We’re waiting. The Congolese rules say you cannot have dual citizenship or nationality,” Sanusi stated. “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.”
According to a report by PUNCH, a member of the NFF’s executive board confirmed the action stating, “NFF has done the needful. 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.”
This development throws DR Congo’s upcoming schedule into doubt. Having received a bye into the final of the intercontinental play-off tournament, where they were set to face the winner of the semi-final between New Caledonia and Jamaica, their participation is now under a cloud pending FIFA’s review of Nigeria’s petition.
For Nigeria, a country condemned to miss back-to-back World Cups after failing to qualify for the 2022 edition in Qatar, this protest offers a stunning late lifeline. If successful, the Super Eagles could be reinstated into the qualification pathway.
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