THIS DAWN — Nigeria’s Super Eagles has lost its last match to DR Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo) in a 4-3 penalty, after an initial 1-1 draw, crashing out of 2026 World Cup finals.
The playoff game was played on neutral ground in Rabat on Sunday, November 16, 2025, so neither team had a home advantage.
The World Cup is coming next year in Mexico, to be co-hosted by USA and Canada.
Why Nigeria played Congo
In the 2026 FIFA World Cup CAF qualifiers, what happened was part of a mini play-off tournament.
The final between Nigeria and DR Congo (Republic of the Congo) on Sunday in Rabat is “winner-takes-all.”
Congo, the victor of the match advances to the inter-confederation play-offs in March 2026, which is the final step before a World Cup berth.
How They Got Here
The Super Eagles reached the final by beating Gabon 4–1 after extra time in their semi-final playoff.
DR Congo reached the final by edging out Cameroon 1–0, thanks to a stoppage-time goal by Chancel Mbemba.
Significance of the Match
This was not just another qualifier — it was a high-stakes playoff final.
Winning means Congo is heading to the inter-confederation playoffs, where only a few teams globally will fight for the final World Cup slots.
Nigeria played against Congo because they were in the CAF play-off final, having won an earlier match against Gabon.
The match was part of a structure to decide which African teams move on to the intercontinental play-offs for a chance at the 2026 World Cup.
Why This Mattered for Nigeria and Others
Nigeria, by finishing as a runners-up in their CAF group, earned a spot in the playoff mini tournament.
The winner of the mini tournament, Congo, will have one more match in the inter-confederation playoff to try and make the World Cup.
This system gives more African teams a chance. Africa has nine direct places plus one possible spot via playoffs.
CAF’s allotment for the expanded 2026 World Cup was increased.
CAF Teams That Made the 2026 World Cup Qualification Race
Nigeria was one of the four teams that participated in the CAF playoff tournament.
They qualified for this playoff as one of the “best four” runners-up across the CAF groups.
Also part of the four-team CAF play-off tournament, Cameroon had a historic pedigree but were knocked out by Congo.
DR Congo is another of the four best runners-up and is competing in the playoff.
Gabon was leading the “best runners-up” ranking, putting them in prime position to compete in the CAF playoff tournament before Nigeria dealt them a devastating blow.
Other Group Leaders Still Competing for Direct Qualification
Some teams leading their groups and still in the race for one of the nine automatic CAF spots include:
Egypt (Group A) – continuing to dominate their group.
Tunisia, Algeria, Ghana, and Ivory Coast are also potential group winners, depending on the outcome of their final matches.
Unsuccessful teams like Nigeria, Cameroon, and Gabon, earlier in the CAF play-offs, have their hopes in the inter-confederation playoff tournament dashed, shutting their pathway to the 2026 World Cup.
The race is still tight.
While Morocco has already secured a spot, many other group leaders are still battling for one of the remaining eight direct CAF berths.
