Uncertainty continues to surround the Nigeria national football team after FIFA failed to reference Nigeria’s protest against the DR Congo national football team in its latest report, deepening doubts over the country’s 2026 World Cup prospects.

The Nigeria Football Federation officially submitted its complaint on December 15, 2025, alleging that DR Congo fielded ineligible players during the decisive African play-off final. Nigeria’s hopes were dashed in Rabat last November after a dramatic encounter ended 4-3 on penalties, eliminating the Super Eagles from the qualification pathway to the intercontinental play-offs.

Following the defeat, focus quickly shifted from on-field action to legal proceedings, with expectations that FIFA’s judicial bodies would review the matter in mid-February. Many supporters anticipated a timely update, but FIFA’s recent publication omitted any mention of the Nigeria-DR Congo dispute, instead spotlighting broader developments in global sports arbitration.

While the report noted that 77 per cent of cases filed at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2025 were football-related, Nigerian fans remain frustrated by the absence of clarity on their own case.

Addressing the situation, Shehu Dikko, Chairman of the National Sports Commission, confirmed after a meeting with Bola Ahmed Tinubu that, as of February 19, 2026, no final ruling had been communicated. He also dismissed speculation suggesting that a verdict had already been reached.

Dikko admitted that competitively, the World Cup chapter appears closed, but emphasized that the legal process remains ongoing within FIFA’s independent judicial framework.

For now, Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup ambitions rest not on the pitch, but in the hands of football’s governing authorities, as the nation waits for a decision that could determine the Super Eagles’ fate.