National Sports Commission (NSC) chairman Shehu Dikko has said Nigeria is still awaiting FIFA’s verdict following reports that FIFA has confirmed DR Congo for this month’s 2026 World Cup qualifying play-off in Mexico.
There were fears across the country on Wednesday evening following reports that the Super Eagles’ dream of making the party to the 2026 World Cup may have effectively ended after FIFA confirmed DR Congo as Africa’s representative in the upcoming inter-confederation play-off.
FIFA, in an official accreditation notice to media covering the event, outlined the competition format and confirmed DR Congo as one of the six nations that will compete for the final two spots at the expanded global tournament.
The other countries are Bolivia, Iraq, Jamaica, New Caledonia and Suriname.
Speaking to The Guardian, Dikko explained that including DR Congo as one of the six nations to compete for the final two spots does not rule out the possibility of Nigeria winning the eligibility case against the Congolese.
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“As far as we know, FIFA is yet to give its verdict,” Dikko said. “We are monitoring the situation closely. The fact that DR Congo appears among the six nations to compete for the final two spots in the playoff is not enough to jump to the conclusion that FIFA has thrown out Nigeria’s petition. Some nations are also preparing for friendly matches. Things will change as soon as the FIFA verdict comes out.”
Dikko continued: “The FIFA we all know has a channel to pass such sensitive information across to the parties involved. The name of DR Congo appears on the fixtures for now because the matter brought before FIFA has not been decided. We are very hopeful that Nigeria will win the eligibility case, and the Super Eagles will proceed to play in the playoff, and possibly make the World Cup party. I want all Nigerians to remain calm, and wait for the final verdict.”
Commenting on the four-nation tournament in Jordan, Dikko said: “We are monitoring the situation. In the first place, we are not the organisers of the tournament. The war in the middle east might end today or tomorrow. There is still time to decide the next move for the Super Eagles.”
3 Comments
I think we should move on and forget about the WC. Even if FIfa rule in our favor can we boldly say we can our opponents to qualify for the tournament? The NSc/NFF should move on from this matter. Let us stay preparing for the next edition.
If sharing money was an Olympic sport, Onigbese NFF will guarantee us that gold medal in every Olympics.
If FIFA allow Nigeria to participate at the world cup peren, that participation fee will be instantly shared. It will be gone before you can say Jack Robinson. They won’t pay coach salaries and players bonuses. They will share the whole mother load.
It is that money they are fighting for. They don’t care a hoot about the SE or the world cup itself.
A truly useless football federation. Utter rubbish.
With a proper football federation counting from 1980, we could have won 8 or 9 Afcons by now, instead of the 3 we have. We could have qualified for every world cup, including these last 2 we missed back to back. We could even be world champions by now. The 1994 set could have won that world cup, with proper preparations and a better coach. To buttress that point, the same set of players won the Olympic gold just 2 years later. In the semifinal, they beat a Brazil that had players like Ronaldo Fenomeno, Roberto Carlos, Rivaldo, Bebeto, Juninho, Savio, Flavio Conceicao, Ze Maria, goalkeeper Dida, and other stars. These players were all members of the Brazil senior team, most of them were in the starting eleven. These same guys got to the final of the 1998 world cup where they lost to France, and these same guys won the 2002 world cup.
In the Olympic final, they beat Argentine stars like Ariel Ortega, Diego Simeone, Sensini, Hernan Crespo, Claudio Lopez, etc. Big stars of world football. With the right admin support, our boys had the ability to conquer the world. They would have dominated African and world football between 1994 and the year 2000. Alas, NFF Onigbese was the opponent that proved too strong for them. Refusing to pay coaches, owing players bonuses, poor player welfare. Bonuses of that time, over 30 years ago, are still being owed as we speak.
Imagine this Nigeria lineup at the 2026 world cup:
Nwabali
Aina, Fredrick, Bassey, Alaba
Eze, Ndidi, Iwobi
Saka, Osimhen, Lookman
Yes, this lineup could have been a reality with a proper football federation. But we have lost players that actually wanted to play for us at first due to NFF corruption and gross incompetence.
This is the cost we bear, the misfortune we have suffered because we’ve had a useless football federation for so long, too long!
NFF thinks September 2026 is far for new elections so they are desperately hanging on to any reward for second term.
However, they are delaying the inevitable: the expansion of the Congress that determines its leaders.
It was supposed to happen last month but somehow canceled because of a new witchcraft.
Shameless NSC chairman is seeking to become the new czar of NFF in September but he’s yet to fully “reach out” to the ignominious state fa chairmen yet with his proposals and handouts so expanded Congress idea came at a wrong time.
On the other hand, NFF president, forget that it was NSC chairman that presented the playoff farce report to tinubu, is banking on FIFA to help his dream of reelection since WC 22 failure ended Pinnick third term dream.
Game of foolish muses in their heads.