Nigeria’s hopes of appearing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup have officially ended after world football governing body FIFA confirmed the DR Congo national football team as Africa’s representative in the intercontinental play-off tournament.

The confirmation rules out the Nigeria national football team from the qualification race for the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Nigeria had attempted to keep its qualification hopes alive by filing a formal complaint to FIFA. The protest alleged that DR Congo fielded ineligible players during their penalty shootout victory over the Super Eagles in the continental play-off final.

The complaint triggered months of uncertainty for both teams as officials reviewed the situation. However, FIFA has now effectively closed the case by including DR Congo in the final list of teams confirmed for the inter-confederation play-off tournament.

In a notice issued to media partners ahead of the tournament in Mexico, FIFA announced the teams that will compete for the final places at the global event.

“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,” FIFA said.

Other countries confirmed for the play-off tournament are the Bolivia national football team, Iraq national football team, Jamaica national football team, New Caledonia national football team and Suriname national football team.

The decisive play-off competition will take place from March 26 to March 31, 2026, in the Mexican cities of Guadalajara and Monterrey.

Nigeria’s failure to secure a place means the Super Eagles will miss consecutive World Cup tournaments for the first time since their debut at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.