Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup have received a major boost following confirmation by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) that it has initiated a formal probe into DR Congo’s use of allegedly ineligible players during the qualifiers, RealityGist reports.

DR Congo had knocked Nigeria out of the African play-offs in November after a dramatic 4–3 penalty shoot-out victory in Morocco, a result that dashed the Super Eagles’ hopes of reaching the FIFA intercontinental play-off.

Following that win, the Congolese were granted a bye into the final of the intercontinental play-off tournament, where they are due to face the winner of the semi-final clash between New Caledonia and Jamaica.

However, their participation at that stage may now be in jeopardy after the NFF raised concerns over the eligibility of several DR Congo players fielded during the African play-offs.

Reports indicate that between six and nine DR Congo players who switched national allegiance may not have fully complied with the country’s legal requirements before representing the national team. While FIFA reportedly cleared the players on the grounds that they possessed valid DR Congo passports, it is alleged that they failed to formally renounce their previous citizenships—an action required under Congolese law, which does not permit dual nationality.

“NFF has done the needful,” a member of the federation’s executive board told RealityGist.
“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.”

NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, also confirmed that the federation has officially challenged the players’ eligibility.

“We’re waiting. The Congolese rules say you cannot have dual citizenship or nationality,” Sanusi said. “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.

“FIFA rules state that once you have a passport of a country, you are eligible, which is why they were cleared,” he added. “But our concern is that FIFA was misled into clearing them. It is not FIFA’s responsibility to enforce Congo’s domestic laws; FIFA acts based on the documents submitted. What we are saying is that the process was fraudulent.”

The development has reignited Nigeria’s hopes of securing a place at the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted jointly by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The Super Eagles had earlier faced the prospect of missing back-to-back World Cups after also failing to qualify for the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

DR Congo, on the other hand, have appeared at the FIFA World Cup only once, in 1974, when the country competed under the name Zaire.