FIFA has confirmed the six-team line-up for the 2026 World Cup inter-confederation play-off tournament, with DR Congo listed as Africa’s sole representative — a development that closes the door on Nigeria’s attempt to force its way back into contention. On its official tournament page, FIFA names Bolivia, DR Congo, Iraq, Jamaica, New Caledonia and Suriname as the teams that will compete for the final two places at the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The governing body’s latest accreditation and tournament materials make no reference to any pending amendment to the qualified teams, despite Nigeria’s protest over the outcome of the African play-off. Reuters reported in December that the Nigeria Football Federation had petitioned FIFA, alleging that DR Congo fielded ineligible players in the decisive tie that ended 1-1 before the Congolese side advanced on penalties. DR Congo’s federation rejected the allegation at the time, calling it an attempt to overturn a result off the pitch.
FIFA’s published tournament information strongly indicates that the protest did not alter the final field. In fact, FIFA had already listed DR Congo among the qualified play-off teams as far back as November 18, 2025, when it confirmed that all six berths had been decided. A subsequent schedule release on November 21 set out the tournament bracket and match dates.
Under that format, New Caledonia will face Jamaica and Bolivia will take on Suriname in the two semi-finals on March 26 in Mexico. DR Congo and Iraq, the two highest-ranked teams in the play-off field, received byes into the final round and will each face the winner of one semi-final on March 31 for a place at the World Cup. FIFA’s official schedule shows DR Congo paired with the winner of New Caledonia versus Jamaica.
For Nigeria, the confirmation brings a bitter end to a qualifying campaign that had already suffered a major blow in the African play-off defeat. FIFA itself noted in January that DR Congo had reached the inter-confederation stage after eliminating both Cameroon and Nigeria.
One important correction to your draft: this was not a fresh qualification decision made on Wednesday. FIFA had already confirmed the six-team play-off line-up in November 2025; what Wednesday’s coverage did was reinforce that Nigeria’s protest had not changed the outcome.
