On Tuesday, the New York Times revealed a controversial situation involving the 2026 World Cup. According to the US outlet, Gianni Infantino and FIFA were aware of an irregularity committed by D.R. Congo during qualifying for the World Cup.
The Leopards qualified through a two-stage playoff: first in Africa, where they defeated Cameroon and Nigeria, followed by the intercontinental playoff, where they eliminated Jamaica. They were the first opponents faced by Portugal in Group K, drawing 1-1. The player at the centre of the controversy featured in that match: Lionel Mpasi.
The New York Times explained that, following a complaint from Nigeria, D.R. Congo had indeed used Mpasi illegally. The African federation never completed the naturalisation process for the goalkeeper, who had represented France at youth level.
However, FIFA later said that there were no eligibility issues for D.R. Congo’s matches against Jamaica and at the subsequent FIFA World Cup 2026.
A FIFA spokesperson told Flashscore: “FIFA can confirm that there were no eligibility issues for DR Congo’s matches against Jamaica and at the subsequent FIFA World Cup 2026.
”As outlined, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee dealt with a protest filed by the Nigeria Football Federation, which was ruled inadmissible.”
In two similar cases over the past decade, FIFA awarded defeats in matches in which national teams fielded ineligible players. That happened to Greece in 2016 and Bolivia in 2018. Had it applied the same logic to D.R. Congo, the Leopards should have lost their World Cup playoff place, potentially opening the door for Nigeria.
Mpasi has 33 caps for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, having made his debut in 2022. In addition to the World Cup, where the Leopards were eliminated by England in the round of 32, he also featured at the 2023 and 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.