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2026 World
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Nigeria face DR Congo with both teams desperate to keep their World Cup hopes alive in Rabat, Morocco today.
They are contesting the CAF play-off final, with a win seeing them progress to the intercontinental play-offs in March.
Nigeria beat Gabon 4-1 after extra time on Thursday to reach this stage, while DR Congo edged past Cameroon.
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Nigeria players ‘sent a message’ over financial dispute with training boycott – William Troost-Ekong
The DR Congo fans are creating a great atmosphere.
They were tooting horns and banging drums even before the players started warming up but now their noise has increased.
I think Nigeria's fanbase have already given up on competing with them.
Captain William Troost-Ekong starts on the bench again, with Eric Chelle making a habit of not starting him since he became head coach in January.
It is a bold decision in such an important game.
Will they miss his leadership and experience?
It looks like Nigeria's head coach Eric Chelle has changed systems from Thursday's victory against Gabon.
Bright Osayi-Samuel and Akor Adams drop out of the line-up for Semi Ajayi and Frank Onyeka. Onyeka should form a three-man midfield with Alex Iwobi and Wilfred Ndidi, who is wearing the armband.
Bizarrely, Ajayi was not in the squad on Thursday but starts at centre-back tonight ahead of the usual captain, William Troost-Ekong, who is on the bench again.
That means Benjamin Fredrick, who was excellent against Gabon, will probably move over to right-back.
Nigeria's replacements are below.
Nigeria substitutes: Okoye (GK), Obasogie (GK); Osayi-Samuel, Troost-Ekong, Awaziem, Onyemaechi, Yusuf, Onyedika, Ejuke, Simon, Adams, Arokodare.
Here's how Nigeria line up today.
Nigeria (4-3-3): Nwabali; Fredrick, Ajayi, Bassey, Sanusi; Onyeka, Ndidi, Iwobi; Chukwueze, Osimhen, Lookman.
Just a touch more than an hour until kick-off in Rabat, so we should know both teams' starting line-ups in the next few minutes.
We'll bring it to you as soon as we get it, so don't go anywhere.
One of the best things about African football are some of the national team nicknames and we have a brilliant battle on our hands today.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria take on The Leopards of DR Congo.
DR Congo are also, superbly, nicknamed Guerriers de l'Equateur (warriors of the Equator).
Wonder how that match-up would go in mother nature…
DR Congo have only ever qualified for the World Cup once, back in 1974 when the country was known as Zaire.
Having won the 1974 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, they became the first sub-Saharan team to participate in the global tournament.
Zaire gave creditable performances in defeats against Scotland, 2-0, and Brazil, 3-0, but were thrashed 9-0 by Yugoslavia.
One of the most famous moments of the tournament was when defender Mwepu Ilunga, upon the referee blowing his whistle for Brazil to take a free kick, sprinting out of the wall and smashing the ball miles up the field.
It has been reported that he was trying to be sent off in protest against his country's authorities, who were alleged to be depriving the players of their earnings.
Nigeria were notable absentees at the 2022 World Cup after failing to qualify.
If history teaches anything then it bodes well for Nigeria, who qualified for their first ever World Cup in the U.S. in 1994.
They have reached the last 16 three times — in the U.S. in 1994, in France four years later and in Brazil in 2014.
Given the talent in their current squad, they might fancy their chances of making it further if they can qualify for next summer's tournament.
The equation now is simple for Nigeria.
They must win today against DR Congo, and that will grant them qualification for the inter-confederation play-offs.
Nigeria would almost certainly be one of the seeded teams in those play-offs, so they would only need to win one more match — which would be against the winners of one of the intercontinental play-off semi-finals.
Victory in that match and Eric Chelle's side will be heading to North America for the 2026 World Cup.
Defeat today, or in March, will end their dreams of making next summer's tournament.
And here are the Nigerians.
The playoffs will be held in March in North America, though exact dates and venues have yet to be confirmed.
New Caledonia (who lost the final of the OFC (Oceania) automatic qualifying tournament against New Zealand) and Bolivia (who finished seventh in CONMEBOL’s round robin qualifying format) have already qualified for the play-offs.
In Asia, the United Arab Emirates will take on Iraq over two legs to qualify for the play-offs — the first leg finished 1-1 in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, ahead of the return in Basra on November 18.
As the host confederation, CONCACAF will be represented twice in the play-offs by the two best runners-up from the third round of qualifying. Curacao and Costa Rica are the teams currently occupying those positions.
After the six participants are confirmed, they will be split into seeded and unseeded teams and into two separate pathways. The two highest FIFA-ranked sides (Nigeria would be one, if they win) will be seeded and move straight on to the final of each pathway.
The unseeded teams will consist of a pair of single-leg semi-finals, with the two winners advancing to the final. The two final winners will be the 47th and 48th nations at the 2026 men’s World Cup.
Nigeria play DR Congo today with the winner to represent Africa in the World Cup inter-confederation play-offs.
The winners in Rabat today will advance through to the inter-confederation play-offs, from which two sides will qualify for the tournament next summer in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
In the African qualifiers, teams were split into nine groups of six, with the six group winners automatically qualifying for the World Cup.
Nigeria, Gabon, DR Congo and Cameroon — the four best-performing group runners-up — moved into the second round, with one African spot for March’s play-offs.
The 2026 men’s World Cup will consist of 48 teams for the first time, and 28 nations have already qualified for the tournament.
With a little more than seven months to go until the finals — hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico — there are 20 spots still to be decided across the next two international breaks.
A further 14 teams will qualify for the World Cup this month.
Six teams — including today's winner between Nigeria and DR Congo — will contest March’s inter-confederation play-offs, with two progressing in a last chance for nations that missed out on direct qualification.
And for DR Congo, AFCON is also in their sights, with a reasonably tough group standing in their path to glory.
They will play heavyweights Senegal, plus Benin and Botswana in the group stage.
Winning today will be front and centre for both sets of players but the prospect of AFCON (Africa Cup of Nations) in Morocco just a few weeks away is looming large.
Nigeria will be looking to go one better than last time, where they finished runners-up to Ivory Coast.
They will face Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda in the group stage at AFCON.
The African teams which have already qualified for next summer's World Cup will be using this international window to prepare for the Africa Cup of Nations later this year and into early next year.
Nigeria, DR Congo and the rest of the continent's best teams make their way to Morocco for the start of the tournament on December 21 and will battle it out for a place in the final on January 18, 2026.
Ivory Coast are the reigning champions and will hope to make that final to defend their title, which will also be played in the Moroccan capital, Rabat.
Of course, there will be live coverage of the tournament on The Athletic. We hope to see you then.
Nigeria boss Eric Chelle, for his part, had this to say when asked about the boycott during his post-match press conference.
💬 “I don’t want to talk about what happened two days ago.
“I can tell you something, these guys work together. Sometimes they will make mistakes, but they will be together. If they win, they are together. If they lose, they are together.
“The most important thing is that they are together. I’m very proud of these guys because every time they are focused with what I ask and what I want.”