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Nigeria’s chances of reaching the 2026 FIFA World Cup may still be alive despite growing concerns that the country has been eliminated from the qualifying race, Footynaija reports.
The chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, has said Nigerian officials are still waiting for an official verdict from FIFA regarding the country’s protest against DR Congo national football team.
Confusion spread earlier this week when FIFA released information about the upcoming intercontinental play-off tournament. In the document sent to accredited media, the governing body listed DR Congo among the six teams that will compete for the final two places at the expanded World Cup.
The announcement caused concern among Super Eagles supporters, many of whom believed the development meant that the Super Eagles’ complaint had already been dismissed.
However, Dikko insisted that the situation remains unresolved.
“As far as we know, FIFA is yet to give its verdict,” Dikko told the Guardian. “We are monitoring the situation closely. The fact that DR Congo appears among the six nations to compete for the final two spots in the playoff is not enough to jump to the conclusion that FIFA has thrown out Nigeria’s petition. Some nations are also preparing for friendly matches. Things will change as soon as the FIFA verdict comes out.”
Nigeria originally lost to DR Congo in a dramatic continental playoff decided on penalties in November, a result that appeared to end the Super Eagles’ hopes of qualifying for the tournament.
Soon after that defeat, the Nigeria Football Federation submitted a formal complaint to FIFA, alleging that DR Congo fielded ineligible players during the match. If the claim is upheld, the governing body could overturn the result and potentially remove the Congolese side from the playoff process.
Dikko remains confident the matter has not been concluded.
“The FIFA we all know has a channel to pass such sensitive information across to the parties involved. The name of DR Congo appears on the fixtures for now because the matter brought before FIFA has not been decided. We are very hopeful that Nigeria will win the eligibility case, and the Super Eagles will proceed to play in the playoff, and possibly make the World Cup party. I want all Nigerians to remain calm, and wait for the final verdict.”
FIFA has provisionally listed Bolivia, DR Congo, Iraq, Jamaica, New Caledonia and Suriname as the six teams for the tournament, which will determine the last two qualifiers for the 48-team World Cup.
The playoffs are scheduled to take place between 26 and 31 March in Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico.
