Nigeria’s painful failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has come under renewed scrutiny following a report alleging that FIFA was aware of an eligibility issue involving a Democratic Republic of Congo player before the Central African side secured its place at the tournament.

An investigation by The New York Times reported that FIFA’s legal officials had privately determined that DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi had not completed the required documentation to change his international affiliation from France, where he had previously represented youth teams.

Despite the alleged finding, Mpasi was allowed to continue representing DR Congo during the qualifying campaign.

The development is significant for Nigeria because Mpasi was part of the DR Congo team that eliminated the Super Eagles in the African World Cup play-off final in November 2025.

Nigeria and DR Congo played out a 1-1 draw after extra time before the Congolese side won the decisive penalty shootout, ending the Super Eagles’ hopes of reaching the 2026 World Cup.

The defeat was particularly painful for Nigeria, who had already missed the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and were hoping to return to the global tournament after failing to qualify for the previous edition.

NFF had challenged DR Congo’s eligibility

Following the defeat, the Nigeria Football Federation filed a complaint with FIFA in December 2025, questioning the eligibility of several DR Congo players.

The NFF’s complaint included questions surrounding Mpasi and other foreign-born players, with Nigeria alleging that the Congolese federation may have provided misleading information while securing the players’ eligibility.

However, FIFA rejected Nigeria’s complaint on procedural grounds.

The latest New York Times investigation has now raised questions about what happened internally at FIFA after the complaint was lodged.

According to the report, FIFA officials considered several possible sanctions against DR Congo, including awarding the match to Nigeria, imposing a fine, replacing DR Congo with Nigeria in the subsequent play-off against Jamaica, or taking no action because Nigeria’s complaint was considered late.

The report said FIFA ultimately allowed DR Congo to continue its qualification campaign.

DR Congo subsequently defeated Jamaica to secure its first World Cup appearance in 52 years.

Questions over FIFA’s handling of the case

The latest revelations have drawn attention to FIFA’s previous handling of player-eligibility cases.

Fielding an ineligible player can result in a team forfeiting a match, and FIFA has imposed such sanctions in previous international competitions.

The report cited earlier cases involving Greece and Bolivia, where FIFA changed match results after determining that ineligible players had featured.

This has raised questions over why the DR Congo case was handled differently, particularly given the potential consequences for Nigeria.

Former NFF president Ibrahim Musa Gusau told The New York Times that he had been informed that Nigeria’s complaint was rejected for technical reasons but said he was not aware that FIFA officials had identified an eligibility problem involving Mpasi.

Gusau called for an investigation into the matter.

Infantino connection under scrutiny

The report has also brought renewed attention to FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s relationship with Véron Mosengo-Omba, a FIFA official and ally of Infantino who was preparing to contest the presidency of the Congolese football federation around the time the eligibility case was being considered.

Two months after DR Congo qualified for the World Cup, Mosengo-Omba emerged as the sole candidate and was elected president after other contenders withdrew or were disqualified following changes to the federation’s eligibility rules.

Former FIFA official Prince Zelkifli Rahman Ngoufonja, popularly known as Prince Zul, told The New York Times that removing DR Congo from the World Cup could have affected Mosengo-Omba’s prospects.

Mosengo-Omba, however, said he was unaware of FIFA’s findings concerning Mpasi’s eligibility.

FIFA has also maintained that its judicial bodies operate independently and has rejected suggestions that Infantino influenced the handling of the case.

What it means for Nigeria

The new allegations do not automatically change the result of the play-off or restore Nigeria’s place at the 2026 World Cup.

They have, however, reopened a debate that many Nigerian football fans thought had ended with the penalty shootout defeat in November 2025.

For the Super Eagles, the issue now goes beyond the missed penalties. It raises questions about whether the eligibility rules were applied consistently and whether Nigeria’s complaint received the level of consideration it deserved.

With Nigeria watching the 2026 World Cup from outside the tournament, the latest revelations could put renewed pressure on football authorities to establish exactly what happened behind the scenes during the eligibility dispute.