Veritas Nexus reports that the Super Eagles of Nigeria have crashed out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup African playoffs after a dramatic defeat to the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday night.
The high-stakes encounter, played in Rabat, Morocco, ended 1–1 after extra time before DR Congo sealed victory in a tense penalty shootout. Nigeria opened scoring early through Frank Onyeka in the 3rd minute, but the Congolese responded with an equalizer from Meschack Elia in the 32nd minute.
With both sides failing to break the deadlock after 120 minutes, the battle proceeded to a shootout, where DR Congo showed greater composure, converting four penalties against Nigeria’s three. Congolese captain Chancel Mbemba scored the decisive spot-kick that officially ended Nigeria’s World Cup hopes.
The loss ends Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying through the African playoff route, delivering a major setback for the Super Eagles and their millions of fans nationwide, while DR Congo advances to the inter-confederation playoff set for March 2026.
