The Democratic Republic of the Congo defeated favorites Nigeria in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw to advance to the inter-confederation playoffs for the 2026 World Cup.
Published November 16, 2025
The Democratic Republic of the Congo kept their hopes of qualifying for the World Cup alive by defeating Nigeria 4-3 on penalties in the African qualifying play-offs in Morocco after a 1-1 draw in extra time.
DR Congo now awaits Thursday’s draw for the inter-federation play-offs in March, with six teams chasing second place in the 48-team final.
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On Sunday, Congo’s substitute goalkeeper Timothy Fayulu, who was brought on a minute before the kick-off, made two saves before captain Chancel Mbemba converted the decisive kick.
Frank Onyeka’s goal put Nigeria ahead in the third minute, but Meshack Elia equalized in extra time, leaving both teams level at 1-1.
The mini-tournament, to be held in Rabat, was a competition for the top two places in nine African qualifying groups, and the matches concluded last month, with the nine winners automatically qualifying for next year’s World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Nigeria, who have played in the last six World Cups, got off to a perfect start as Onyeka picked up the ball just outside the penalty area after an early cross was cleared by a Congolese player and fired a powerful shot that found the back of the net with a slight deflection from Axel Tuanzebe.
However, the Congolese could have equalized within nine minutes had Galayel Mukau not missed his shot over the crossbar after Nigerian goalkeeper Stanley Nwabari fluttered at the ball.
Congo equalized in the 32nd minute after Alex Iwobi lost the ball in their own half, and a quick counter saw Cedric Bakambu score into the area despite Nigeria captain Wilfred Ndidi’s attempt to intercept the ball.
Nwabali made a sharp stop early in the second half with a deft backheel from Bakambu’s corner, and it looked like the Congolese had a decent penalty shout in the 55th minute when Noah Sadiki was tipped over by Benjamin Fredrick inside the Nigeria box, but the referee showed no interest and no VAR check was carried out.
The Democratic Republic of Congo looked ambitious as the contest progressed, but with so much at stake, it was characterized by a cautious approach on both sides to avoid making mistakes.
Nigeria needed extra time to defeat Gabon in Thursday’s semifinal, but they looked much more fatigued than their opponents, who defeated Cameroon within 90 minutes in the semifinal the same night.
Both teams had two chances in extra time, with Nigeria substitute Tolu Arokodare scoring a header, but Mbemba’s shot in the dying minutes was saved by Nwabari.
The Democratic Republic of Congo remained determined in the shootout and still has a chance to qualify for its first World Cup since 1974, when the country was still known as Zaire.
Egypt, Senegal, South Africa, Ghana, Cape Verde, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Algeria and Tunisia have already qualified directly from Africa for the 2026 World Cup.
Bolivia from South America and New Caledonia from Oceania have already advanced to the six-team continental playoff.
In Asia, the United Arab Emirates will host Iraq in the second leg on Tuesday to decide another playoff spot. The first leg was 1-1.
When the final matches of the qualifying round conclude on Tuesday, it will also include the top two finishers in groups from the North American, Central American and Caribbean Confederation.
Europe has its own playoff system for the remaining non-automatic spots in the 48-team World Cup.
