Fresh revelations have raised questions over Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup elimination after FIFA officials reportedly determined that the Democratic Republic of Congo had breached player eligibility rules but allowed the team to continue its qualification campaign.
An investigation by The New York Times published on Tuesday said FIFA’s legal officials had privately concluded that Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi had not completed the required documentation to switch his international affiliation from France, where he had represented youth teams.
Despite the finding, FIFA allowed Mpasi to continue playing for Congo, which subsequently defeated Jamaica in March to secure its first World Cup appearance in 52 years.
The revelation is likely to renew scrutiny of Nigeria’s complaint against Congo after the Central African side eliminated the Super Eagles on penalties in the African play-off final in November 2025.
Nigeria subsequently missed the World Cup for a second successive edition, having also failed to qualify for the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) filed a complaint with FIFA in December 2025, alleging that Congo had fielded players who were not eligible to represent the country.
The complaint questioned the eligibility of several foreign-born players, including Mpasi, and alleged that the Congolese federation had misled FIFA in obtaining clearance for them.
Documents and correspondence reviewed by The New York Times, alongside information from a senior official involved in the case, reportedly showed that FIFA considered several possible sanctions.
They included awarding a match to Nigeria, imposing fines, replacing Congo with Nigeria in the play-off against Jamaica, or taking no action on the grounds that Nigeria had filed its complaint late.
Under FIFA rules, teams can forfeit matches for fielding ineligible players.
The report cited previous cases in which FIFA imposed sporting sanctions for similar breaches, including a 2016 decision involving Greece and a 2018 ruling that altered the results of two Bolivia World Cup qualifying matches.
Former NFF president Ibrahim Musa Gusau said he was told Nigeria’s complaint had been rejected on technical grounds but was not informed that FIFA had identified an eligibility problem involving Mpasi.
“They just kept quiet, and they can’t tell anyone because they know it’s going to be a serious crisis for them,” Gusau told The New York Times, while calling for an investigation.
The report also raised questions about the political implications of the case, noting the relationship between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Véron Mosengo-Omba, who was preparing to contest the presidency of the Congolese football federation while FIFA was reviewing the eligibility matter.
Two months after Congo qualified for the World Cup, Mosengo-Omba emerged as the sole candidate and was elected president after eight other contenders withdrew or were disqualified following changes to eligibility rules.
Cameroonian former FIFA official Prince Zelkifli Rahman Ngoufonja, popularly known as Prince Zul, said the relationship raised questions over what could have happened had FIFA removed Congo from the World Cup.
“If FIFA removed Congo from the World Cup,” he said, Infantino’s ally’s prospects “could have been damaged.”
Mosengo-Omba, however, said he was unaware of FIFA’s findings concerning Mpasi’s eligibility.
CONCACAF, the governing body for football in North and Central America and the Caribbean, said eligibility complaints capable of affecting the integrity of competitions should be properly investigated.
“Any concerns regarding player eligibility, particularly those that may affect the integrity of a competition or the interests of one of our member associations, need to be thoroughly reviewed and addressed,” it said.
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