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International Madness: Why This Nation’s World Cup Dream May Be Over

Nigeria have filed a complaint to FIFA over DR Congo in the hope of reviving their bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

The Super Eagles saw their hopes of qualifying for a seventh time dashed as they were beaten 4-3 on penalties by the DR Congo in last month's African play-off final.

Controversy followed the shootout, with Nigerian boss Eric Chelle claiming that the DR Congo players practised “voodoo” during the penalties.

🚨 ÉRIC CHELLE HAS COMPLAINED ABOUT DR CONGO PERFORMING WITCHCRAFT. 😱🇨🇩

🇳🇬 The Nigeria manager directly accused the DR Congo staff of performing voodoo against his side. 🧙🏿‍♂️

🗣️ “Throughout the entire penalty shootout, a guy from DR Congo was doing voodoo. He kept stirring water… pic.twitter.com/R6n7209pIi
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Footballtweet) November 19, 2025

And this controversy has only grown, as Nigeria has now submitted a complaint to FIFA over the DR Congo’s use of dual-nationality players.

🚨 FIFA have opened an investigation into allegations that multiple DR Congo players changed nationalities without fully complying with Congolese law and FIFA eligibility regulations. 🇨🇩😳

The outcome could have major implications for DR Congo’s World Cup qualification hopes,… pic.twitter.com/FUZhKUpdmb
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) December 16, 2025

Reports claim that between six and nine players used by the DR Congo during the qualifiers may have switched international allegiances, but may not have gone through the process of giving up their European passports, which is needed in Congolese law to represent the country.

The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) general secretary, Mohammed Sanusi, told reporters on Monday that “the Congolese rules say you cannot have dual nationality.

“There are so many of them that have European passports, some of them French passports, some of them Dutch passports. The rules are very clear. We cannot say anything now, but we have submitted our protest to FIFA.

“There are players that got theirs in just three months. So there is to us what is considered a breach of the regulation. That is why I took that decision.”

Sanusi also claims that FIFA was “deceived” into clearing the Congo, and that it was “fraudulent.”

FIFA is yet to respond to these claims made by the NFF, but ESPN reported that the issue is being investigated by world football's governing body and a decision is expected before the intercontinental playoffs in March.

Jean Kabongo, who has Congolese heritage and lives in England, said the Nigerians were “desperate” and that “rules are enforced and validated by FIFA.”

Kabongo went on by saying that what the NFF are doing is extremely “Petty.”

“First, they accused the DRC of voodoo, now this”, he said. “Next, they will be saying that Gandalf the Grey helped us win.”

If the claim were to be upheld, it would not be the first time this year that Nigeria would have benefited from a team fielding an ineligible player. On 21 March, South Africa beat Lesotho 2-0.

At that point, Nigeria had just three points, seven behind South Africa.

However, six months later, on 29 September, South Africa’s win was handed to Lesotho after it was discovered that Teboho Mokoena had not served his one-game suspension.

🚨⚖️: FIFA has deducted points from Bafana Bafana for fielding Teboho Mokoena against Lesotho.❌️

✅️: Lesotho is awarded a 3:0 win
👎: Bafana Bafana drop to 2nd behind Benin on goal difference. pic.twitter.com/L8Db4TsElM
— Duncan 🦅 (@duncangutse) September 29, 2025

Despite this, Nigeria were unable to capitalise on South Africa’s carelessness, as they still ended the group stage with 17 points—one less than South Africa.

It remains unclear whether this appeal will be successful or not. But if it were to be, it would provide the Super Eagles a pathway back into World Cup qualifying.