There seems to be no end in sight for Nigeria’s expectation on its petition to the world’s football ruling body over the petition against DR Congo.

FIFA on Tuesday launched the 100-day countdown to the 2026 World Cup but said nothing on Nigeria’s petition on players’ eligibility.

The development has deepened the frustration of millions of Nigerian football fans who have been waiting eagerly to know if the nation would feature in the global most important sports festival in history.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has moved to quash circulating reports suggesting that FIFA has issued a verdict regarding Nigeria’s protest against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over alleged ineligible players.

The dispute follows Nigeria’s elimination on penalties by the Leopards in the final round of the African play-offs last November. This result ended the Super Eagles’ hopes of advancing to the intercontinental play-offs for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

NFF filed a formal complaint with FIFA, questioning the eligibility of several DR Congo players. The federation argued that under Congolese law, dual nationality is not recognised, raising concerns about players holding European passports while representing the Leopards.

NFF officials have now clarified that FIFA has not yet issued any ruling on the matter. Ademola Olajire, the federation’s Director of Communications, described reports claiming a decision in favour of either Nigeria or DR Congo as “false and misleading.”

“There is no decision from FIFA at this time. Any claims that a ruling has been made are false. FIFA has not communicated any verdict to the NFF or the Congolese federation,” Mr Olajire told Olukayode Thomas’ 234Sports website.

The clarification appears aimed at addressing widespread online speculation, including fabricated documents purporting to show FIFA awarding Nigeria a 3–0 victory over DR Congo and reinstating the Super Eagles for the next stage of World Cup qualification. The NFF warned that such reports are entirely fake and should be disregarded.

Nigeria’s petition focused on DR Congo’s domestic law, which largely prohibits dual citizenship for adults. According to the NFF, some Leopards players allegedly retained foreign passports — including European nationality — without formally renouncing their previous citizenship. Among the players referenced in the petition were individuals reportedly holding Belgian, English, French, or Dutch passports.

NFF General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi said the federation submitted the petition to FIFA, raising concerns that the Congolese FA may have provided incomplete or misleading documentation when seeking FIFA clearance for these players.

“As far as FIFA is concerned, once you have the passport of your country, you are eligible. But our concern is that FIFA may have been deceived into clearing them,” Sanusi explained to the media.

The months-long waiting, vigils and prayers by millions of football lovers in Africa’s most populous nation, over the possibility of the country making it to the 2026 World Cup tournament would come to an end Monday, as the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) is set to  give final verdict on Nigeria’s petition against the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC).

Nigeria had, on November 16, suffered a painful defeat through penalties and therefore lost the opportunity for the inter-confederation playoffs in March.

However, Nigerian football authorities had petitioned FIFA on the basis of technicalities, alleging that DR Congo fielded players with dual citizenship which Nigeria said was a violation of Congolese laws.

The petition specifically stated that nine players switched nationalities without completing the legal and administrative process.

Nigeria Football Federation General Secretary, Dr. Muhammad Sanusi, said FIFA approved the players based on documentation and assurances provided by the DR Congo federation, as FIFA regulations allow players to represent a country if they hold a valid passport.

Nigeria’s complaint alleges that the clearance process itself may have been fraudulent, given potential conflicts with Congolese nationality laws. “It is not FIFA’s duty to know the domestic laws of every country,” Sanusi added. “That is why we formally drew FIFA’s attention to the issue, and we are now awaiting their verdict.”

It would be recalled that Nigeria earlier won 3-point deduction from South Africa in the group stage for fielding an ineligible player against Lesotho.

If Nigeria gets favourable verdict from today’s FIFA ruling, the African giant would be two times lucky, with a brighter prospect of making it to the coming World Cup, a most cherished global football fiesta that every country wishes to be part of.