Nigeria has lodged a formal complaint with FIFA accusing the Democratic Republic of Congo of using ineligible players during their African World Cup qualification play-off, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed.
DR Congo eliminated Nigeria on penalties last month to advance in the qualification race and are now set to feature in an inter-confederation playoff in March.
In the inter-confederation playoff, six teams will battle for the final two spots at the expanded 48-team World Cup in North America.
According to the NFF, several players selected by DR Congo were cleared despite holding dual nationalities, which Nigeria claims violates Congolese laws.
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NFF General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi said the issue was not FIFA’s eligibility rules, but whether DR Congo’s domestic regulations had been properly followed.
Sanusi argued that FIFA approved the players based on information supplied by the Congolese authorities, but maintained that the approval was obtained under false pretences.
He described the situation as fraudulent and said Nigeria had asked FIFA to review the matter.
DR Congo’s football federation (Fecofa), dismissed the allegations, accusing Nigeria of attempting to overturn the result through administrative means rather than on the field.
In a social media response, Fecofa said World Cup qualification should be decided through fair competition, not legal manoeuvres.
FIFA has yet to comment on the petition. The 2026 World Cup will be staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11th – 19th July.
NFF/Reuters.