Equatorial Guinea’s hopes of overturning two costly 3-0 forfeits in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers have officially been dashed after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected their appeal.

The controversy began when FIFA ruled that Equatorial Guinea had fielded an ineligible player in their November 2023 victories over Namibia and Liberia. That player was none other than Emilio Nsue, the country’s all-time top scorer, who netted the decisive goals in both 1-0 wins.

Despite his long international career, Nsue’s eligibility was once again questioned due to his past appearances for Spain’s youth sides. FIFA had previously declared him ineligible in 2013, citing that he had not received proper clearance to switch allegiance. Although the Equatoguinean federation (Feguifut) filed a fresh request earlier this year and secured clearance for Nsue, the governing body’s earlier punishments remained in place.

In April, FIFA handed Namibia and Liberia 3-0 wins by default, slashing Equatorial Guinea’s qualification hopes. Feguifut appealed to CAS, seeking to restore the lost six points, but their case was dismissed on procedural grounds. CAS ruled that Namibia’s and Liberia’s federations should have been included as parties in the appeal, and without them, the challenge could not stand.

The verdict, delivered on July 28 and published this week, leaves the two forfeits intact. FIFA defended its decision, stressing that the African nation was fortunate not to have been expelled entirely from the competition, given the severity of the breach.

The ruling means Namibia retain their place in the next stage of qualifying, while Equatorial Guinea must regroup with their World Cup dream hanging by a thread.