DR Congo Stun Nigeria to Keep Their 2026 World Cup Hopes Alive
They join Bolivia and New Caledonia as confirmed participants, with two more qualifiers from Asia and the CONCACAF region to be determined shortly.
Nigeria's forward Victor Osimhen celebrates after the victory at the end of the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2024 round of 16 football match between Nigeria and Cameroon at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on January 27, 2024. Photo/ Courtesy
By Ruth Sang
The Democratic Republic of Congo pulled off a dramatic, historic upset on Sunday, ending Nigeria’s campaign for the 2026 World Cup after a tense penalty shootout in the African play-off final. The two sides played out a 1-1 draw after extra time in Rabat, with DR Congo holding its nerve to triumph 4-3 on penalties and seal its place in the inter-confederation play-offs scheduled for March next year in Mexico.
In a nervous, rain-drenched shootout full of missed opportunities, four penalties were saved or off target. The winning spot-kick was coolly dispatched by DR Congo captain Chancel Mbemba after a bottle had been thrown at him from the stands. His composure summed up the resolve of a Congolese side determined to make a long-awaited return to football’s biggest stage. The country last made it to the World Cup in 1974 as Zaire, a tournament that ended in disaster when they failed to score and conceded 14 goals, including a humiliating 9-0 defeat to Yugoslavia.
A lot of the credit for this victory lay with substitute goalkeeper Timothy Fayulu, who came on for Lionel M’Pasi literally seconds before extra time ended. Fayulu then managed to pull off two telling stops in the shootout to vindicate what was an unusual tactical call from the bench.
Though the Congolese were the underdogs – 19 places below Nigeria in FIFA rankings, and expected to lose by many experts, DR Congo proved resilient, and as time wore on, they kept growing stronger, especially after an early setback. Within three minutes, Nigeria was in front, as Frank Onyeka’s powerful drive took a deflection off defender Axel Tuanzebe, leaving M’Pasi wrong-footed.
But the Congolese regrouped and found their equaliser in the 32nd minute as veteran forward Cedric Bakambu delivered a well-placed cross into the area, and when Nigerian captain Wilfred Ndidi failed to clear it cleanly, Mechak Elia seized the chance, firing past goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali.
A further blow saw Nigeria lose their star forward Victor Osimhen, who had scored five goals in his last two international matches, to injury just before halftime. His absence was noticed in the second half of the game as Nigeria’s attacking power was weakened.
As the match wore on, both teams became cagey; Nigeria almost gifted DR Congo a second goal in the 83rd minute after a defensive blunder involving Nwabali. Substitutes from DR Congo continued to press for goals, but Noah Sadiki’s extra-time goal was ruled out for a foul after a VAR review.
This victory secures a spot for DR Congo in the six-nation inter-confederation tournament that will be held in Guadalajara and Monterrey starting on March 23. They join Bolivia and New Caledonia as confirmed participants, with two more qualifiers from Asia and the CONCACAF region to be determined shortly.
The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, will be the largest in history, with 48 teams. Africa will be represented automatically by nine nations: Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia. DR Congo will now have to fight for one of the final two global spots, aiming to return to the world football stage after more than 50 years.
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