The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has dismissed reports claiming that the Nigeria national football team have lost its chances of qualifying for the next FIFA World Cup, stating that the world football governing body has not issued any official decision on the matter.
Speaking with Punch, NFF Director of Communications Ademola Olajire, said the federation remained in a state of active anticipation.
“The NFF have not received any formal communication from FIFA whatsoever. No information can be shared with journalists without first coming to the federations involved.
“Yes, our wait is ongoing. We are still expecting formal communication from FIFA. Let those posting the old quotes continue posting them,” Olajire said.
The clarification came after it was reported that FIFA had confirmed DR Congo as Africa’s representative in the inter-confederation play-off tournament, with headlines declaring Nigeria’s World Cup dream effectively over.
The reports carried a FIFA statement that read, “All of the six teams have now been decided, with Bolivia, Congo DR, Iraq, Jamaica, New Caledonia and Suriname confirmed as qualifiers.”
However, that statement was published by FIFA on November 18, 2025, more than three months before Wednesday’s reports and referred to the completion of the qualification process before Nigeria’s protest was even filed. It did not represent any new ruling on the NFF’s eligibility complaint.
Recall that the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, submitted its petition to FIFA on December 15, 2025, challenging the eligibility status of the players. FIFA has since been reviewing the matter. The NFF alleged that six Congolese players had recently switched international allegiance and were ineligible at the time of the match.
The NFF submitted the petition after Nigeria’s qualification campaign suffered a major setback in November 2025, after a 4–3 penalty shootout defeat to DR Congo in the final African playoff.
FIFA confirmed that the issue is currently under review but has not indicated when a final decision will be made. The delay has sparked growing frustration in Nigeria, especially with the inter-confederation play-offs fast approaching.
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