NFF Considers Demanding FIFA Compensation After Nigeria Miss 2026 World Cup
- A Nigerian National Sports Commission official said Nigeria has been vindicated after DR Congo's use of an ineligible player in World Cup qualifying came to light
- Internal FIFA documents reviewed by The New York Times and Le Monde showed FIFA lawyers flagged goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi's eligibility problem before DR Congo's intercontinental playoff
- The NSC official said Nigeria is now pushing for FIFA to reopen the DR Congo case, arguing that fraud does not carry a time limit for punishment
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Nigeria's National Sports Commission (NSC) has said the country is weighing a compensation claim against FIFA after revelations that DR Congo fielded an ineligible player during World Cup qualifying, which ultimately led to Nigeria's elimination from the 2026 tournament.
A senior NSC official told ESPN that nothing has been formally decided, but the financial losses alone make compensation worth pursuing seriously.
Source: Getty Images
"The revenue that the Super Eagles and the NFF would have received from participating at the World Cup, the exposure that players would have got, transfers, the sponsorship fees, even the boost to the Nigerian economy," the official said told ESPN.
"We are exploring all our options as a country and nothing is off the table."
What the FIFA documents showed
The claims follow reporting by The New York Times and Le Monde, both of which reviewed internal FIFA documents showing that the federation's own legal team identified a problem with DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi's eligibility as far back as March 2026.
According to the reports, Mpasi's change of international association from France had not been completed at the time, yet no disciplinary action was taken.
DR Congo went on to beat Jamaica in the intercontinental playoff and qualified for the World Cup.
The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) had raised eligibility concerns much earlier, after DR Congo knocked the Super Eagles out of the African World Cup playoffs in November.
The two sides drew 1-1 after extra time before DR Congo won 4-3 on penalties.
The NFF's original concerns were broader than the Mpasi issue alone, with then-NFF president Ibrahim Gusau arguing that multiple DR Congo players had been wrongly cleared because of questions around their nationality status under Congolese law.
Nigeria seeks full review of the case
The NSC official said the newly surfaced evidence strengthens Nigeria's position and calls for FIFA to go beyond procedural questions.
"Nigeria has been vindicated," the official said.
"When we said we had written a petition to FIFA, people accused us of all sorts of things. I think this has proven that we were correct that DRC fielded ineligible players."
The official also argued that Nigeria's petition did not need to follow the same procedural path as a formal protest, pointing to cases involving South Africa, Greece, and Bolivia where FIFA acted on its own initiative against teams that fielded ineligible players.
Beyond compensation, Nigeria wants FIFA to reopen the entire DR Congo case.
"Nigeria will be seeking for FIFA to review the case because the case is about fraud and fraud does not have a time limit for punishment," the official said.
"DRC should be made to face consequences for what they have done, to serve as a lesson to others who may want to try the same thing in future."
There is some precedent for FIFA paying out in disputed elimination cases.
FIFA gave the Football Association of Ireland €5 million after Ireland's controversial exit at the hands of France in qualification for the 2010 World Cup, following Thierry Henry's notorious handball.
FIFA later described that arrangement as a one-off, and Nigeria's situation differs in that the argument is centred on FIFA's own failure to enforce its eligibility rules.
Reason FIFA dismissed NFF's protest against DR Congo
Earlier, Legit.ng reported about FIFA’s decision to dismiss Nigeria’s protest over DR Congo fielding an ineligible player, despite finding the NFF’s case valid.
The Super Eagles could have taken DR Congo’s place in the World Cup play-off, but FIFA rejected the complaint because it was filed too late.
Source: Legit.ng
