OGUN, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-Despite a wave of national anxiety triggered by recent FIFA updates, Nigeria’s hopes of appearing at the 2026 World Cup remain alive, according to Mallam Shehu Dikko, Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC).
Tension rose across the country on Wednesday evening following reports that the Super Eagles’ dream of making the party to the 2026 World Cup may have effectively ended after FIFA confirmed Democratic Republic of the Congo as Africa’s representative in the upcoming inter-confederation play-off tournament in Mexico.
In an official accreditation notice to media covering the event, FIFA outlined the competition format and confirmed DR Congo as one of the six nations set to compete for the final two spots at the expanded global tournament.
However, Dikko explained in a chat with The Guardian, yesterday, that including DR Congo as one of the six nations to compete for the final two spots does not rule out the possibility of Nigeria winning the eligibility case against the Congolese.
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“As far as we know, FIFA is yet to give its verdict,” Dikko said. “We are monitoring the situation closely. The fact that DR Congo appears among the six nations to compete for the final two spots in the playoff is not enough to jump to the conclusion that FIFA has thrown out
Nigeria’s petition. Some nations are also preparing for friendly matches. Things will change as soon as the FIFA verdict comes out.”
Dikko continued: “The FIFA we all know has a channel to pass such sensitive information across to the parties involved. The name of DR Congo appears on the fixtures for now because the matter brought before FIFA has not been decided. We are very hopeful that Nigeria will win the eligibility case, and the Super Eagles will proceed to play in the playoff, and possibly make the World Cup party. I want all Nigerians to remain calm, and wait for the final verdict.”
FIFA, on Wednesday, confirmed the participating nations as Bolivia, Congo DR, Iraq, Jamaica, New Caledonia and Suriname.
On the four-nation tournament in Jordan, Dikko said: “We are monitoring the situation. In the first place, we are not the organisers of the tournament. The war in the middle east might end today or tomorrow. There is still time to decide the next move for the Super Eagles.”