Nigeria will face the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Sunday’s final of the Confederation of African Football play-offs, with the winner advancing to represent Africa in the World Cup inter-confederation play-offs in March.
The Super Eagles defeated Gabon 4-1 in extra time on Thursday, while DR Congo overcame Cameroon 1-0 thanks to Chancel Mbemba’s last-minute winner to set up the decider at the Moulay Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco.
The victor will earn Africa’s final opportunity to reach the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, but must still navigate the inter-confederation play-offs to secure their place at the tournament.
Nigeria have qualified for six World Cups since making their debut at the 1994 tournament in the United States, missing only the 2006 and 2022 editions. The three-time African champions have reached the round of 16 on three occasions – in 1994, 1998 and 2014 – but have never progressed beyond that stage.
DR Congo, known as Zaire at the time, were the first Sub-Saharan African team to qualify for a World Cup when they participated in the 1974 tournament in West Germany. The Leopards are two-time African champions, winning the continental title in 1968 and 1974, but have not returned to the World Cup finals in the 52 years since their lone appearance.
Nigeria, ranked 41st in the world, entered the play-offs as the highest-ranked team and justified their seeding with a dominant display against Gabon after the match went to extra time.
DR Congo’s 60th-ranked Leopards produced a resilient performance against Cameroon, with Mbemba’s dramatic late strike denying the Indomitable Lions a place in the final.
The match will kick off at 19:00 GMT on Sunday at the Moulay Hassan Stadium, the same venue that hosted Nigeria’s semi-final victory.
In the African qualifiers, teams were split into nine groups of six, with group winners automatically qualifying for the World Cup. Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia secured direct qualification.
The four play-off participants were the best runners-up across those nine groups, with their places in the tournament determined by Fifa world rankings as of 17 October.
However, Sunday’s winner will not yet have guaranteed their place at the World Cup. They must overcome teams from other continents in the inter-confederation play-offs scheduled for March in Mexico.
The inter-confederation play-offs will feature two teams from the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) and one team apiece from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) and the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC).
Two sides will qualify for the World Cup from those play-offs, meaning Sunday’s winner will need one more victory to secure their place at next summer’s finals.
