Anxiety has intensified among Nigerian football fans following the release of the 2025 CAS & Football Annual Report by FIFA, which failed to make any reference to Nigeria’s pending petition against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo).

The omission has renewed uncertainty over Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup prospects, as the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is still awaiting a ruling on its complaint alleging that DR Congo fielded ineligible players during their decisive African play-off clash.

Nigeria lodged the protest on December 15, 2025, after the Super Eagles’ dramatic elimination in a 4–3 penalty shootout loss to DR Congo in Rabat last November, a defeat that ended Nigeria’s hopes of advancing to the intercontinental play-offs for the 2026 World Cup.

Expectations had been high that clarity would emerge by mid-February following a scheduled meeting of FIFA’s Ethics Committee. However, the latest annual report released by the world football governing body made no mention of the Nigeria–DR Congo case.

Instead, the publication focused on the broader influence of football in global sports arbitration, noting that 77 per cent of cases registered with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2025 were football-related.

For Nigerian supporters, the statistics offered little comfort. With no clear timeline for a verdict, speculation and uncertainty continue to surround the fate of the Super Eagles and the unresolved legal battle.

Adding to the uncertainty, the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko, said no final decision had been communicated by FIFA as of February 19, 2026.

Dikko, who spoke to State House correspondents after a closed-door meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, dismissed reports suggesting that a verdict had already been reached.

He maintained that neither the NFF nor the federal government had received any official correspondence from FIFA on the matter, stressing that the process remains ongoing.

While expressing confidence in Nigeria’s case, Dikko acknowledged that the outcome now rests entirely with FIFA’s independent judicial bodies.

“World Cup is a closed chapter for us competitively, but the legal matter is pending. The relevant independent bodies within FIFA will decide,” he said, underscoring that Nigeria’s final fate remains undecided.