Victor Osimhen, Nigeria’s prolific forward, is expected to be a key player when the Super Eagles take on the Democratic Republic of Congo this Sunday in Rabat, in a crucial battle for 2026 World Cup qualification.
The winner of the African play-off final will earn a spot in a six-team intercontinental tournament in Mexico next March, featuring teams from every football region except Europe. The loser will see their World Cup dreams end, missing out on a place among the 48 teams set to compete in the 2026 global tournament hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Nigeria and DR Congo were among the four best runners-up from the African qualifiers to earn a second chance via the play-offs. In Thursday’s semi-final, Osimhen netted two goals in extra time as Nigeria thrashed Gabon 4-1. Meanwhile, DR Congo secured a narrow 1-0 win over Cameroon courtesy of a late strike from Chancel Mbemba.
Osimhen, the 2023 African Player of the Year, also scored a hat-trick in last month’s 4-0 victory over Benin that earned Nigeria a play-off berth. Still wearing a protective mask after a serious facial injury four years ago, the 26-year-old was a constant menace against Gabon and came close to scoring on multiple occasions.
In the final minute of 12 added minutes, he missed a clear chance to seal a hat-trick.
"I was gutted after missing that opportunity. It was a bad miss," Osimhen told reporters.
“Sometimes I score incredible goals, and other times I miss seemingly easy chances. I apologised to my teammates and promised I’d make up for it in extra time — and I did.”
Nigeria have reached six of the last eight World Cups since their debut in 1994 and are determined to avoid consecutive failures after missing out on the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
Though ranked 19 places above DR Congo in the FIFA world rankings and considered favourites, head coach Eric Chelle remains cautious.
“Our win against Gabon is already behind us. The focus is now on DR Congo — and only after we win will we celebrate,” he said.
“We’re building a new identity, and with each international window, the team is growing mentally and technically. Passion and teamwork were key against Gabon — we need to bring that same fire against DR Congo.”
DR Congo, whose only World Cup appearance was in 1974 as Zaire, have become a disciplined and dangerous side under French coach Sébastien Desabre, and are captained by Lille’s standout defender, Chancel Mbemba.
“We’ve been working hard to build this team — it didn’t happen overnight. We’ll give everything against Nigeria,” Desabre said.
Sunday’s playoff in the 22,000-seat Prince Heritier Moulay El Hassan Stadium will be the first-ever World Cup qualifying clash between Nigeria and DR Congo.
Elsewhere, Bolivia and New Caledonia have already booked their places in the intercontinental tournament. Iraq or UAE will represent Asia, while Jamaica and Panama are favourites to secure the two Central American and Caribbean slots.
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