The Democratic Republic of the Congo made history by defeating Nigeria in the African playoff final to qualify for the intercontinental playoff for the 2026 World Cup. The match ended 1-1 after 120 minutes, with the Congo winning 4-3 on penalties. However, the match was overshadowed by controversy surrounding an accusation of witchcraft.
The star of the show was goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi-Nzau, who saved two of the three penalties missed by the "Green Eagles." He became a national hero, taking his country one step closer to returning to a World Cup for the first time since 1974, when the team competed as Zaire. The match, held in Rabat, saw Nigeria miss another World Cup, having also been absent from the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
Under coach Eric Chelle, Nigeria took the lead in the third minute with a strike from Frank Onyenka, but the Congo responded. After a turnover by Alex Iwobi, Meschack Eliay continued the play and finished with a brilliant offensive move that confused the Nigerian defense. From there, the match became a physical battle, with two goals disallowed for the Congo during extra time before the game went to penalties.
The penalty shootout decided the outcome. Nigeria missed three consecutive penalties—by Bassey, Moses Simon, and Semi Ajayi—thanks to two decisive interventions from Mpasi-Nzau, who became the hero of the night and the cornerstone of the Congolese dream of reaching the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico, and Canada.
For now, Bolivia, New Caledonia, and the DRC are the teams with guaranteed spots in the playoff, which will be held from March 23 to 31, 2026, in Monterrey and Guadalajara.
Witchcraft in the Penalty Shootout
Nigeria's elimination was marred by a bizarre incident. Nigeria's coach, Eric Chelle, publicly accused the Congolese coaching staff of practicing "voodoo" during the penalty shootout.
"The guy from the Congo was doing voodoo the whole time," the visibly agitated coach said while describing gestures and movements that, in his opinion, were performed to influence the series.
From the Congolese side, coach Sébastien Desabre avoided controversy and stated, "it was not a problem," while representatives of his federation firmly denied the accusations. Television footage showed no irregular practices, only typical scenes from a penalty shootout where tension, nerves, and superstitions often mix.