World football governing body, FIFA has confirmed the final line-up for the inter-confederation play-off tournament, officially naming DR Congo as Africa’s sole representative, a decision that effectively ends Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The confirmation was contained in an accreditation notice circulated to journalists ahead of the tournament, in which FIFA outlined the competition format and listed the six participating nations. DR Congo’s inclusion leaves no opening for Nigeria, whose football authorities had been seeking a reversal of their defeat in the CAF play-offs held in November 2025.
Following that play-off tie which ended 1-1 before Nigeria lost on penalties, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) lodged a formal protest, alleging that DR Congo fielded ineligible players in the decisive match. The petition was aimed at overturning the result and securing a place for the Super Eagles in the inter-continental play-offs.
In its statement, FIFA confirmed, “The FIFA World Cup 2026 Play-Off Tournament will see six teams fight it out for the final two places at the FIFA World Cup 2026™, to be staged in Canada, Mexico and the United States across 16 Host Cities.”
The world football governing body added, “All of the six teams have now been decided, with Bolivia, Congo DR, Iraq, Jamaica, New Caledonia and Suriname confirmed as qualifiers.”
The playoff is expected to begin on March 26 at the Monterrey Stadium and will be concluded on April 4 at the same stadium.
The announcement underscores the finality of the qualification process and confirms that Nigeria will not feature in the expanded 48-team World Cup set to be hosted across North America in 2026.
DAILY TRUST.
