Nigeria’s hopes of returning to the FIFA World Cup have suffered a major setback after FIFA officially confirmed the Democratic Republic of the Congo as Africa’s representative in the upcoming inter-confederation play-off tournament.
In an accreditation notice circulated to media covering the event, FIFA outlined the tournament structure and listed the six nations set to compete for the final two slots at the expanded 48-team 2026 FIFA World Cup. The tournament will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Notably absent from the list is Nigeria national football team.
The Nigeria Football Federation had earlier filed a formal protest following Nigeria’s defeat to the DR Congo national football team during the CAF play-offs in November 2025. Nigeria alleged that the Congolese side fielded ineligible players during the decisive tie.
The match had ended 1–1 in regulation time before DR Congo secured victory through a penalty shootout.
The NFF had hoped the protest would overturn the result and pave the way for Nigeria’s reinstatement in the play-off race. However, FIFA’s latest communication made no reference to any review or change in the outcome, indicating that the earlier result remains valid.
The six nations confirmed for the inter-confederation play-offs are Bolivia national football team, DR Congo national football team, Iraq national football team, Jamaica national football team, New Caledonia national football team and Suriname national football team.
The play-off tournament will take place from March 26 to March 31, 2026, in the Mexican cities of Guadalajara and Monterrey, where the participating teams will battle for the final two qualification spots for the global tournament.
