DR Congo have left out two players named in the NFF’s eligibility petition to FIFA from their 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup intercontinental play-offs, adding a fresh twist to a dispute that has been running for months, Footynaija.com reports.
Coach Sébastien Desabre named his squad on Wednesday, retaining the main players who beat Nigeria on penalties in Rabat last November.
What stands out, per PUNCH Sports Extra, is the absence of forward Michel-Ange Balikwisha and midfielder Mario Stroeykens, both of whom were among the players the NFF highlighted when it filed its formal complaint with FIFA on December 15.
Related Post
Neither DR Congo nor their federation have offered any explanation for the omissions, and it is not clear whether the decision reflects tactical thinking, injury, or an acknowledgement of the eligibility concerns raised by Nigeria.
The timing makes it difficult to dismiss as coincidence.
A case still waiting
Nigeria’s petition rests on Congolese domestic law, which does not recognise dual nationality. The NFF argues that several Leopards players retained foreign passports, among them Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Axel Tuanzebe, both former England youth internationals, without properly renouncing their previous citizenship before representing DR Congo.
FIFA cleared all of them at the time on the basis of documentation submitted by the Congolese federation, but the NFF contends that documentation was incomplete or misleading.
FIFA has still not delivered a verdict. The matter was expected to be resolved by mid-February, but no announcement has come, and the NFF has warned fans to ignore circulating reports claiming otherwise.
The intercontinental play-off in Mexico, where DR Congo are due to face the winner of the New Caledonia versus Jamaica semi-final, is scheduled for March 31 at the Estadio Akron in Guadalajara. That leaves precious little time for a ruling that could change everything.
