It’s the end of the road for the Super Eagles of Nigeria in their quest for a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup as they lost to DR Congo in the African playoffs final on Sunday night.
Having finished in second place during the group stages of the qualifiers, the Eagles had a second chance to seal a World Cup spot through playoffs, and needed to win their way through.
But the team, led by Eric Chelle, saw off Gabon in the semifinal with a 4-1 victory after extra time, but could not do the same against DR Congo in the final of the continental final.
The Eagles will now miss back-to-back World Cup finals having failed to reach the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Nigeria started the game against DR Congo on a bright note as Frank Onyeka opened scoring in the third minute, with the team pressing on and keeping the pace against a much disciplined Congolese side.
The lead did not last for too long as an error involving Alex Iwobi and later Wilfred Ndidi helped DR Congo equalise just after the half-hour mark through Meschak Elia.
Both sides held on 1-1 through the second half, and also through extra time, forcing the game to penalty shootout which saw DR Congo clinch a 4-3 win.
The Nigerian side struggled from the start of the second half with the substitution of Victor Osimhen, followed almost immediately by that of Ademola Lookman and Samuel Chukwueze.
Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali had a fine outing during the shootouts as he saved two kicks, but it was Congo’s substitute goalkeeper Timothy Fayulu, brought on a minute before the shootout, who won the game!
DR Congo will now represent Africa in the interconfederation playoffs billed to hold in Mexico in Marcg 2026. They stand a chance to reach the finals of the World Cup to be hosted in North America a few months after.
