World Cup
Our World Cup race has just begun, says Ekong
Sitting quietly at one corner of the departure hall of the Kigali International Airport on Saturday morning, Super Eagles’ captain William Ekong had a relaxed mien about him and minced no words in saying that Friday’s victory over Rwanda’s Amavubi was just the statement the Eagles needed to put out as the World Cup race reached halfway mark.
“It was important to make the statement that we did, and we’re all happy about it, and the way we did it.
Of course, we have not qualified and there’s still a lot of work, but we have started the recovery in a good way and we just have to keep working hard.
“I don’t want to go into the circumstances that made the first four matches go the way they went. The good thing is we can still recover and revive the campaign, and we have done that.”
Ekong’s firm leadership, and Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Simon Moses’ zest at the fore, were all too evident and impactful as the Eagles coasted to a 2-0 win over hosts Rwanda at the Amahoro Stadium, throwing up nostalgia of the strong squad that wowed all and came within 23 minutes of lifting the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire early last year.
As the chartered ValueJet Airline’s CRJ-900 aircraft touched down at the Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo at 2 pm on Saturday, Ekong told thenff.com that he would be rallying the troops ahead of Tuesday’s Day 6 encounter against the Warriors of Zimbabwe.
“We read somewhere that the Zimbabweans are being motivated to come to Uyo and get a result.
“They should forget it. We are hugely motivated by the ambition to play at the FIFA World Cup. Apart from myself, Alex (Iwobi) and perhaps a couple of others, who were part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, this generation is hungry to play at the highest level.
“We want to make Nigeria proud and at the same time, do ourselves proud.”
Victor Osimhen, whose brace unscrambled the calculations of the Amavubi and made them disappoint the capacity crowd that included President Paul Kagame, said at the Victor Attah Airport: “We are ready. The remaining matches are wars and we must fight them with all that we have to win.”
Victory on Tuesday evening will take Nigeria to nine points, and in firm contention for the ticket, especially if Benin Republic and South Africa cancel themselves out inside Abidjan’s Stade Félix Houphouet-Boigny.
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By Kunle Solaja
The Democratic Republic of Congo has named several players at the centre of Nigeria’s eligibility protest in its squad for the decisive inter-continental play-off for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, underlining the lingering controversy surrounding the Leopards’ qualification campaign.
DR Congo will face the winner of the play-off between Jamaica and New Caledonia in Guadalajara, Mexico, on March 31, 2026, in a match that could send the Central African nation back to the World Cup for the first time in 52 years.
But the squad announced by coach Sébastien Desabre has drawn attention because many of the players whose eligibility Nigeria questioned after last November’s African play-off defeat have again been included.
Players at the centre of Nigeria’s protest
Nigeria’s protest to FIFA following the African play-off in Morocco focused most strongly on three players whose nationality switches were approved only days before the decisive match: Michel-Ange Balikwisha, Mario Stroeykens and Matheu Epolo
Balikwisha and Stroeykens, both Belgian-born and former Belgium youth internationals, were granted FIFA approval to switch allegiance to DR Congo in the days leading up to the November 16 play-off against Nigeria.
Epolo, a Belgian-born goalkeeper who also represented Belgium at the youth level, had his nationality switch approved within the same period.
Nigeria argued that the Congolese federation had called up the players before FIFA had formally approved their change of association, raising questions about whether proper procedures had been followed.
Of the three players at the centre of the protest, Epolo has been included in the squad for the Guadalajara play-off, while Balikwisha and Stroeykens have not been listed among the selected players.
Several other contested players retained
Beyond the three players highlighted in Nigeria’s complaint, several other footballers whose eligibility was questioned by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have also been retained in the squad.
These include: Lionel Mpasi, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Axel Tuanzebe, Arthur Masuaku, Samuel Moutoussamy, Noah Sadiki, Ngal’ayel Mukau, Nathanaël Mbuku, and Cédric Bakambu
Most of those players were involved in the controversial African play-off match against Nigeria last November, with Mpasi, Wan-Bissaka, Tuanzebe and Masuaku forming part of the starting defence.
Midfielders Sadiki, Moutoussamy and Mukau also started the match, while Mbuku and Bakambu featured in the attacking line.
Substitute appearances were made by Edo Kayembe, Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Fiston Mayele, with Balikwisha scoring one of the penalties in the shoot-out that ultimately eliminated Nigeria.
Legal basis of Nigeria’s complaint
Nigeria’s petition to FIFA was based on two principal arguments.
The first concerned the timing of FIFA approval for nationality switches.
According to the NFF, the Congolese federation called up several dual-nationality players around November 1, 2025, but FIFA only approved their change of association between November 11 and 12, just days before the match on November 16.
Nigeria argued that this raised questions about how the players could have been selected before their eligibility was officially confirmed.
The second argument related to DR Congo’s constitutional position on dual nationality.
The NFF contended that because the Congolese constitution does not formally recognise dual citizenship, players who still held European passports might not have been eligible to represent the country unless they had renounced their other nationalities.
Historic opportunity in Guadalajara
Despite the controversy, DR Congo now stands within touching distance of its first World Cup appearance since 1974, when the country competed under the name Zaire.
Desabre’s squad blends experienced European-based players with emerging talent as the Leopards attempt to secure a historic return to the global stage.
In defence, Wan-Bissaka and Masuaku are expected to provide width, while Chancel Mbemba and Tuanzebe offer experience and physical presence at the heart of the backline.
Midfielders Sadiki and Moutoussamy will be tasked with controlling the tempo, supported by attacking outlets such as Grady Diangana and Edo Kayembe.
Up front, DR Congo will rely on the firepower of Bakambu, Fiston Mayele, Simon Banza and Yoane Wissa.
If the Leopards prevail in Guadalajara, they will become the tenth African nation to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, joining Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Cape Verde, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal.
Yet as they prepare for the decisive match, the presence of several players named in Nigeria’s protest ensures that the controversy surrounding last November’s play-off remains part of the broader narrative of DR Congo’s quest for a place at football’s biggest tournament.
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U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday the Iranian men’s national soccer team was welcome to participate in the 2026 World Cup but that he believed it was not appropriate that they be there “for their own life and safety.”
“The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to the World Cup, but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Iran’s sports minister said on Wednesday, opens new tab that it was not possible for his nation’s athletes to participate after the U.S. launched airstrikes alongside Israel against Tehran. The attacks triggered a region-wide conflict that has shown no signs of abating.
The 48-team World Cup will be held in the U.S., Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, with Iran scheduled for matches in Los Angeles and Seattle.
An official withdrawal by Iran from the showpiece event, which has not yet happened, would be a first in the modern era and would leave soccer’s global governing body FIFA with the urgent task of finding a replacement team.
Iran was the only nation missing from a FIFA planning summit for World Cup participants held last week in Atlanta.
FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Late last year it awarded Trump — who has campaigned aggressively for the Nobel Peace Prize — its own inaugural peace prize .
Earlier this week, Australia granted humanitarian visas to five Iranian women soccer players after they sought asylum, fearing persecution on their return home for their refusal to sing the national anthem at an Asia Cup match.
Trump had urged Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to grant asylum to members of the Iranian women’s team, saying the U.S. would if Australia did not.
-Reuters
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Democratic Republic of Congo striker Yoane Wissa has returned to the squad for their World Cup playoff this month after missing the Africa Cup of Nations finals at the turn of the year.
The Newcastle United forward suffered a knee injury playing for his country against Senegal in a World Cup qualifier in early September, only returning to action in December, and was not chosen for the Cup of Nations in December and January.
The Congolese were eliminated in the round of 16 at the tournament in Morocco.
They now have a chance to become the 10th African country at the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. starting in June.
They are competing in the inter-confederation playoff in Guadalajara, Mexico on March 31 against either Jamaica or New Caledonia, who meet five days earlier.
The winners of the March 31 game qualify for the World Cup and will be in Group K with Colombia, Portugal and Uzbekistan.
DR Congo coach Sebastien Desabre named 26 players for the playoff with defender Dylan Batubinsika of Greek side AEL and Watford right back Jeremy Ngakia returning.
Elche’s former England under-21 midfielder Grady Diangana, who missed the Cup of Nations finals, is also included.
Reuters
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