World football governing body FIFA on Wednesday extinguished the hopes of Nigeria’s Super Eagles of securing a place at the 2026 World Cup, following the confirmation of the final line-up for the inter-confederation play-off tournament.
In an accreditation notice issued to journalists ahead of the competition, FIFA outlined the format of the tournament and listed the six participating nations, naming DR Congo as Africa’s representative.
The confirmation effectively shuts the door on Nigeria’s chances of reaching the tournament through the play-off route.
The Nigeria Football Federation had earlier filed a protest challenging the outcome of their defeat to DR Congo in the Confederation of African Football play-offs in November 2025.
Nigeria alleged that DR Congo fielded ineligible players during the decisive encounter, which ended 1–1 in regulation time before the Congolese side triumphed on penalties.
FIFA had sought to overturn the result and secure the Super Eagles’ place in the inter-continental play-offs.
However, confirming the final list of teams, FIFA said the play-off tournament will feature six nations battling for the last two slots at the 2026 global showpiece.
“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 statement read.
It added that all participating teams have now been confirmed as Bolivia, DR Congo, Iraq, Jamaica, New Caledonia and Suriname.
The tournament is scheduled to kick off on March 26.
