The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has criticised Nigeria for petitioning football’s world governing body, FIFA, over the alleged use of ineligible players during the 2026 World Cup playoffs in Morocco, accusing the Super Eagles of attempting to qualify “from the back door” after losing on penalties.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a statement posted on its official Instagram page on Tuesday night, the Congolese national team condemned Nigeria’s action, insisting that qualification should be decided on the pitch.
“If you can’t win on the pitch don’t try to win from the back door. The World Cup has to be played with dignity and confidence. Not with lawyers tricks. Bring it on. Allez y les Leopards. Bad losers,” the statement read.
The reaction followed confirmation by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) that it had formally submitted a petition to FIFA, alleging that nine players fielded by DR Congo were ineligible under Congolese domestic law.
Explaining the petition, NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, said Nigeria’s complaint centred on citizenship rules in DR Congo.
“The Nigerian petition is on nine players of DRC. FIFA were deceived into clearing those players because it is not FIFA’s responsibility to interpret or enforce domestic citizenship laws,” Sanusi said.
He argued that Congolese law does not permit dual citizenship, yet some of the players involved are believed to hold dual nationality.
“FIFA rules say once you have a passport of your country, you’re eligible, and that is why they were cleared. But our concern is that FIFA was deceived into clearing them. It is not FIFA’s responsibility to enforce Congo’s domestic regulations; FIFA acts based on what is submitted to it. What we are saying is that the process was fraudulent,” he added.
DR Congo secured a place in the Intercontinental Playoffs after defeating Nigeria in a penalty shootout, keeping their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup alive. The Intercontinental Playoffs are scheduled to take place in Mexico in March 2026.
The development has reignited debate among Nigerian football fans, with many holding out hope that FIFA’s review of the petition could change the outcome of the playoff tie.
Nigeria last featured at the FIFA World Cup in 2018 and missed the 2022 tournament in Qatar, fuelling fears that failure to qualify for the 2026 edition would deepen the disappointment of supporters across the country.
The matter is now before FIFA, which will determine whether DR Congo breached player eligibility rules. If Nigeria’s petition is upheld, the Super Eagles could be reinstated into contention for the Intercontinental Playoffs in Mexico, provided the fixtures have not already been played.
