The Super Eagles’ 2026 World Cup dream suffered a major blow on Sunday as DR Congo advanced to the intercontinental playoff following a dramatic penalty shootout at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.

Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying ended in heartbreaking fashion, marking the second consecutive year the Super Eagles will miss out on the world stage.

The match ended 1–1 after 120 minutes of regulation and extra time, sending the high-stakes encounter to penalties.

Nigeria initially went ahead through Frank Onyeka in the third minute, but DR Congo equalised in the 32nd minute through M. Elia.

The tension continued into the penalty shootout.

Nigeria’s Calvin Bassey and Moses Simon missed early chances, while Nwabali denied DR Congo’s first penalty.

Akor Adams kept the Super Eagles alive, but DR Congo struck back through Sadique and later scored the decisive fourth penalty, leaving Nigeria trailing 4–3 in the shootout.

The victory sets up DR Congo for a chance to secure one of the final World Cup tickets to the expanded 48-team tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Nigeria’s defeat marked the second consecutive year the Super Eagles will miss out on the world stage.

Both teams had earned their places in the final after dramatic semi-finals.

Nigeria had booked their place in the final with a dramatic 4–1 extra-time win over Gabon in Thursday’s semi-final at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium.

DR Congo also advanced with a 1–0 victory over Cameroon at the Al Barid Stadium the same evening.

The Leopards now await their intercontinental playoff opponent, keeping alive their hopes of reaching the 2026 World Cup, while the Super Eagles’ campaign comes to an agonising end in Rabat.

The Nigeria Premier Football League has handed Katsina United a total fine of N9m and ordered them to play all remaining home games behind closed doors in Jos following incidents of violence during their 1–1 draw with Barau FC on Saturday, according to The Punch reports.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the league body charged Katsina United with multiple breaches of its Framework and Rules, including failure to provide adequate security and failure to control their supporters.

The league said unauthorised persons gained access to restricted areas, while fans also threw harmful objects onto the pitch, resulting in injuries to Barau FC players.

“The club failed to ensure proper conduct of their supporters leading to the harassment of Barau FC players and match officials,” the NPFL said.

“Furthermore, Katsina United supporters displayed conduct capable of bringing the game into disrepute.”

The NPFL imposed a N3m fine for throwing objects, misconduct of supporters and bringing the league into disrepute, while another N2m penalty was issued for failure to provide effective security.

Katsina United were also ordered to pay N4m as compensation for medical treatment of injured players, damages to the away team’s buses, and for holding the visitors and match officials hostage after the match.

The total sanction amounts to N9m.

The league body directed that all subsequent home matches be played at the New Jos Stadium and without spectators. Katsina United have 48 hours from the date of the notice to appeal the decision.

The disciplinary action follows reports that Barau FC player Nana Abraham sustained a neck wound after being attacked by fans during the game at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium.

The incident reportedly occurred shortly after Barau equalised in the 69th minute, leading to chaos inside the ground. Photographs from Barau FC showed Abraham bleeding as officials intervened to restore order before the game eventually resumed and ended 1–1.

Before the NPFL verdict, Katsina United had denied reports of violence and any player injury, describing such claims as “entirely baseless”.

In a separate statement, the club’s media director, Nasir Gide, said the reports were “a deliberate attempt to tarnish the club’s image,” insisting that security operatives maintained order throughout the game.

“At no point during the match did any supporter gain access to the main pitch,” Gide said.

“Katsina United football club is committed to professionalism, discipline, and fair play both on and off the pitch.”

He added that the club had demanded a retraction from platforms that published the report and threatened legal action if corrections were not made.

Saturday’s unrest in Katsina comes just weeks after the NPFL sanctioned Kano Pillars for a similar violent incident in October, when fans invaded the pitch following a late equaliser against Shooting Stars in Kano.

The league fined the club N9.5m, imposed a points deduction, and closed the Sani Abacha Stadium indefinitely.

The Super Eagles’ camp officially opened on Sunday in Rabat, Morocco, with the arrival of 10 players, as Nigeria begin final preparations for their crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup CAF playoffs.

The first batch of players and team officials arrived at the Rive Hotel, Rabat, on Sunday afternoon, signalling the start of what could be a decisive week in Nigeria’s campaign to return to the world’s biggest football stage.

The team’s media officer, Promise Efoghe, told the News Agency of Nigeria that early arrivals included the trio of Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi and Samuel Chukwueze, as well as Tolu Arokodare and Olakunle Olusegun.

“Later on Sunday, three more players – Wilfred Ndidi, Moses Simon, and William Troost-Ekong—joined up with the squad, bringing the number of players in camp to eight.

“By nightfall, Benjamin Fredericks and Chidozie Awaziem also checked in, raising the total number of players in camp to 10 as preparations gathered pace,” he said.

NAN also reports that coach Eric Chelle on Saturday finalised his 24-man squad for the playoffs as he named a strong roster of Europe-based stars and local standouts for the decisive fixtures in Rabat.

The Super Eagles face Gabon in the first playoff match on Thursday. A win would send them into the African playoff final against either Cameroon or the Democratic Republic of Congo on November 16, also in the Moroccan capital.

The playoff round provides African teams with an additional route to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

However, the winner of this series must still overcome opponents from other continents in a final intercontinental playoff scheduled for March 2026 in Mexico.

Chelle’s squad features several changes from last month’s qualifiers, where Nigeria recorded victories over Lesotho and Benin to climb to second place behind South Africa in their qualifying group.

The crucial victories earned the Super Eagles a playoff slot as one of the four best runners-up across the nine African groups.

Among the returnees is Maduka Okoye of Udinese, back to provide competition in goal, while Awaziem also returns in defence.

Midfielder Raphael Onyedika and forward Chidera have been recalled to add depth and creativity.

Players omitted from last month’s roster include Felix Agu, Terem Moffi, and Christantus Uche.

Nigeria, the highest-ranked of the four teams in this playoff round, are widely seen as the favourite to progress — but coach Chelle has cautioned against complacency, stressing the need for discipline and tactical precision.