23 days to W/Cup playoff: FIFA keeps Nigeria waiting on petition against DR Congo

2026-03-04 - 07:37

With less than 100 days to the 2026 World Cup and 23 days to the Intercontinental Playoff, world football governing body, FIFA is still silent on the petition of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over alleged ineligible players of DR Congo in the African playoff. While host nations continue to fine-tune logistics, infrastructure and commercial activities ahead of the June kick-off, uncertainty still hangs over parts of the qualification process—particularly in Africa—where a major eligibility dispute involving Nigeria and DR Congo remains unresolved. The situation has taken an added urgency with fewer than 24 days remaining before the FIFA Intercontinental Playoffs, scheduled for late March in Mexico. These playoffs will determine the final teams to complete the World Cup lineup. At present, DR Congo is listed as Africa’s representative for the intercontinental playoffs following their penalty shootout victory over Nigeria in the CAF qualification playoff final last November. However, Nigeria’s hopes of re-entering the qualification race have not been extinguished, as the matter has shifted from the pitch to the legal and administrative arena. According to the NFF, some of the players in question failed to fully comply with nationality switch regulations and domestic legal requirements, which could render them ineligible under FIFA statutes. Despite the seriousness of the allegations—and the rapidly approaching intercontinental playoffs— FIFA has so far remained silent.