The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has played down Nigeria’s complaint to FIFA over the use of allegedly ineligible players during the 2026 World Cup African playoffs.
After the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, announced that it had submitted a petition to FIFA, DR Congo’s Director of Football, Herita Ilunga, reacted with a subtle jab.
In a post on social media, Ilunga said FIFA decides player eligibility based on sporting nationality, not local citizenship laws, and advised Nigerians to focus on the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) instead.
“FIFA doesn’t reason in terms of legal nationality but in terms of sporting nationality,” Ilunga wrote. “If that’s the case, I advise my Nigerian brothers to focus on AFCON.”
The NFF, through its General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi, accused the Congolese Football Association of deceiving FIFA. Sanusi argued that DR Congo’s laws do not allow dual nationality, yet several players in the Leopards’ squad allegedly hold both Congolese and European passports.
According to Sanusi, FIFA cleared the players based on documents submitted by DR Congo, but Nigeria believes the information provided was false and misleading. The NFF has asked FIFA to investigate the matter.
“FIFA’s rule says once a player has a country’s passport, he is eligible to play,” Sanusi said. “But our issue is that FIFA was misled, because DR Congo’s own laws do not allow dual citizenship.”
DR Congo defeated Nigeria 4–3 on penalties in the final of the African playoffs, securing a place in the inter-confederation playoffs for the 2026 World Cup. They will now face the winner of the match between Jamaica and New Caledonia for a final World Cup ticket.
Several players in the DR Congo squad were born abroad and were only recently cleared to represent the country. Under DR Congo law, children born outside the country to Congolese parents may hold dual citizenship only until age 21, after which they must give up their other nationality.
Despite Nigeria’s petition, DR Congo officials appear confident that FIFA’s decision will stand, insisting that the players were cleared under FIFA rules and dismissing the complaint as a distraction rather than a real threat.