Nigeria will miss the 2026 FIFA World Cup after losing to the Democratic Republic of Congo in a dramatic penalty shootout in the CAF World Cup playoff final in Rabat on Sunday. The Super Eagles beat Gabon 4-1 in the semifinals after extra time, with Victor Osimhen scoring twice and Chidera Ejuke adding a goal, but their World Cup hopes crashed in dramatic fashion.
The match ended 1-1 after the standard 90 minutes against DR Congo, with the game going into extra time. Nigeria advanced 4-1 after extra time against Gabon, but could not overcome DR Congo in the final. The match went to penalties where Nigeria lost 3-4, with missed penalty kicks ending their chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
The decision by Éric Chelle, coach of DR Congo, to accuse the opposing side of using “voodoo” during the penalty shootout added controversy to the encounter. The loss left more questions than answers for Nigeria’s football program as they failed to qualify for a second straight World Cup.
In the CAF Group C qualifying stage, South Africa won the group and directly qualified for the World Cup, while Nigeria finished as runners-up. Nigeria qualified for the second round to compete for a place in the inter-confederation play-offs. Nigeria played a total of 12 matches in the Africa CAF World Cup Qualifiers, with 5 wins, 6 draws, and 1 loss.
Before the final, Nigeria had beaten Benin Republic 4-0 in their World Cup qualifiers on October 13, 2025, and had drawn 1-1 with Lesotho in Group C. The team also drew 1-1 with Congo DR in November 2025 before the dramatic penalty shootout loss.
South Africa scored 2-0 against Benin in Group C, while Nigeria managed 1-1 against Lesotho. Egypt dominated Djibouti 6-0, and Cameroon beat Mauritius 3-0 in other Group D matches.
The qualification failure comes as football fans express deep disappointment over Nigeria’s inability to reach the tournament hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The 2026 World Cup will run from June 11 to July 19, 2026, with 48 teams competing across 16 venues in the three countries.
Nigeria’s failure to qualify marks another missed opportunity for the Super Eagles to compete in the expanded tournament that will feature 32 teams advancing to the knockout stage instead of the previous 16 teams.
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