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.
At the time, world football's governing body declined to pursue the case brought by the Super Eagles on 'technicalities'. However, according to the newspaper, they did not deny being aware of the Mpasi issue. Even so, they chose not to act, and the player featured throughout the World Cup.
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.