Wednesday, March, 18 2026 - The Nigeria Football Federation has begun the process of appealing a decision by FIFA Disciplinary Committee after its petition against the Democratic Republic of Congo was rejected.
The dispute relates to a 2026 FIFA World Cup play-off match
played in Rabat last November, where Nigeria lost 4–3 on penalties.
The NFF had challenged the eligibility of some players in
the DR Congo squad, alleging irregularities in passport issuance that allowed
certain players to qualify for the match. After months of review, FIFA
dismissed the petition, a decision the Nigerian football body says it is not
satisfied with.
The NFF General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi, confirmed the
development in a statement. He said: “We have received the decision of the FIFA
Disciplinary Committee on our petition, but we are not satisfied with the
decision, which rejected our petition. I want to assure Nigerians that the NFF
has immediately commenced the process of appealing the decision.”
Meanwhile, DR Congo have progressed in the qualification
pathway and are set to face the winner of a tie between the Jamaica national
football team and the New Caledonia national football team.
The next stage of the play-offs will take place in
Guadalajara and Monterrey, where teams will compete for the final qualification
spots. The expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup will be hosted across the United
States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
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