The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has formally petitioned FIFA over allegations that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) fielded ineligible players during their decisive 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying playoff match.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, NFF General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi accused the Congolese Football Association of misleading FIFA into approving players who allegedly contravened DR Congo’s citizenship laws.
Sanusi argued that DR Congo law does not permit dual nationality, yet several players in the Leopards’ squad reportedly possess both Congolese and European passports.
He described the players’ registration as fraudulent and confirmed that the NFF has submitted a formal complaint requesting a FIFA investigation.
According to Sanusi, FIFA cleared the players based on its eligibility rules, which recognise any player holding a valid national passport as eligible to represent that country.
“FIFA regulations state that once you have the passport of a country, you are eligible to play,” Sanusi said. “However, our contention is that FIFA was deceived. It is not FIFA’s responsibility to verify whether DR Congo’s domestic laws were followed. FIFA acted based on the documents presented, which we believe were fraudulent.”
The Super Eagles were eliminated from the World Cup qualifying campaign after losing to DR Congo on penalties in the playoff. The match ended 1–1 after extra time before the Congolese side prevailed in the shootout.
Following the victory, DR Congo advanced to the inter-confederation playoffs, where they will face the winners of the match between Jamaica and New Caledonia for one of the final qualification spots for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
