A legal battle is looming for the African place in the international World Cup playoff. The general secretary of the Nigerian Football Federation, Mohammed Sanusi, announced this Tuesday that has submitted a formal complaint to FIFA to disqualify DR Congothe team that beat the Nigerians in the CAF playoff, due to improper alignment and let it be Nigeria who takes its place in the play-offs.
Sanusi accuses DR Congo of fielding nine players who were not eligibles for not having correctly completed the nationality change process. Among those nine players would be West Ham full-back Wan-Bissakaborn in England, and Masuaku, from Sunderland, born in France, among others.
Nigeria hoping to reach World Cup via the back door🤣
Sec general of the #Nigeria Football Federation, Mohammed Sanusi says a formal protest has been submitted to FIFA, challenging the eligibility of certain DRCongo players over alleged violations of FIFA’s rules on nationality. pic.twitter.com/a9sY6ZkY9p
— Oluwashina Okeleji (@oluwashina) December 16, 2025
In the coming days, FIFA must study the case and make a decision about itbut previous precedent seems to indicate that the claim has little chance of succeeding. Chile already went to FIFA in the previous qualification process to demand the same against Ecuador due to the Byron Castillo case. Finally, Ecuador went to the World Cup and he was punished with three fewer points in the following South American qualifiers.
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Nigeria demands that the CAF playoff final be lost to DR Congo and the green eagles will be the ones who will compete in the international play-off against the winner of Jamaica-New Caledonia in March for a place in the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The winner of this play-off would be placed in Group H along with Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan.
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