DR Congo warns Nigeria against a backdoor World Cup route after the NFF petitioned FIFA over alleged player eligibility breaches

The Football Federation of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday warned Nigeria and the Super Eagles against qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup through what it described as a backdoor route.

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The warning followed a petition submitted by the Nigeria Football Federation to FIFA, challenging the eligibility of some Congolese players fielded in a recent play-off match that ended Nigeria’s qualification hopes after a 4 to 3 penalty shoot-out defeat in Morocco.

The loss eliminated the Super Eagles from the play-off and handed DR Congo a bye into the final of the intercontinental play-off tournament.

The Congolese federation dismissed Nigeria’s claims and accused the NFF of attempting to overturn the result through administrative means rather than on-field performance.

In a post shared on the national team’s official X account, DR Congo said the World Cup should be contested with dignity and confidence, not legal manoeuvres.

The federation also posted images showing players who switched nationality, including Aaron Wan-Bissaka, during a visit to President Félix Tshisekedi.

Images from FIFA’s Change of Association platform showed the dates when several players completed their nationality switches to Congo.

Reports alleged that between six and nine players did not fully comply with Congolese constitutional requirements before representing the country.

The claims centred on Congo’s constitution, which does not permit dual nationality, and alleged failures by players to formally renounce previous citizenships.

FIFA reportedly cleared the players based on valid DR Congo passports.

Nigeria’s officials confirmed on Monday that the NFF had submitted a formal petition to FIFA seeking a review.

A member of the NFF executive board said the federation was exploring a loophole linked to Congo’s domestic laws on citizenship.

NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, said the federation believed FIFA was misled during the clearance process.

Dr Mohammed Sanusi said FIFA rules focus on passport possession, but Nigeria’s concern was that the nationality switch process was fraudulent under Congolese law.

The dispute has revived Nigeria’s faint hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup after missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar.