Nigeria: Anxiety As FIFA Releases Annual Report Without Verdict On Nigeria's Petition

20 February 2026
Daily Trust (Abuja)
By Jide Olusola and Baba Martins

Fresh uncertainty has surrounded Nigeria's 2026 World Cup hopes after FIFA published its 2025 CAS & Football Annual Report without any reference to Nigeria's petition against DR Congo.

The report's release has heightened anxiety among Nigerian football fans, as the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is still awaiting a ruling on its complaint alleging that DR Congo fielded ineligible players during the African play-off final for the 2026 World Cup.

Nigeria's protest was submitted on December 15, 2025, following the Super Eagles' painful elimination after a 4-3 penalty shootout defeat to DR Congo in Rabat last November.

That loss ended Nigeria's chances of progressing directly to the intercontinental play-offs for the 2026 World Cup in North America.

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Despite expectations that a decision could emerge around mid-February after a scheduled Ethics Committee meeting, FIFA's latest publication made no mention of the case.

Rather than address the Nigeria-DR Congo case, FIFA's report focused on the broader role of football in global arbitration, noting that 77 per cent of cases registered with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2025 were football-related.

For Nigerian supporters, however, the technical details offer little reassurance. With no timeline for a verdict, uncertainty continues to dominate discussions around the Super Eagles' World Cup fate.

In the same vein, the Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko while addressing State House correspondents after a closed-door meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday said as at February 19, 2026, no final verdict haD been reached by the world football governing body, FIFA.

He also dismissed reports of a decision, maintaining that it has received no official communication from the international body..

Dikko, who expressed confidence in Nigeria's case but acknowledged that the outcome now lies with FIFA's independent judicial bodies, said Nigeria's fate remains undecided.

"World Cup is a closed chapter for us competitively, but the legal matter is pending. The relevant independent bodies within FIFA will decide," he said.

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