Nigeria are gearing up for the first international break of 2026 after contrasting experiences towards the end of last year.
The Super Eagles beat Egypt on penalties to claim third place at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations tournament after a heartbreaking shootout loss to hosts Morocco in the semi-final.
This followed losing 4-3 on penalties to DR Congo in the Africa World Cup play-off final back in November, meaning as things currently stand, Nigeria will not be taking part in this summer’s showpiece.
Instead, DR Congo have progressed to the intercontinental play-offs which begins on March 26 as they await the winners of the New Caledonia vs Jamaica semi-final tie in the final on March 31.
However, it has since been revealed that Nigeria remain hopeful of reviving their bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after filing a complaint to FIFA, challenging DR Congo’s use of several dual nationality players during qualification.
While FIFA's Disciplinary Committee have rejected such allegations against DR Congo, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have confirmed they have started the process of appealing the decision.
NFF general secretary Mohammed Sanusi said in a statement: "We have received the decision of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee on our petition, but we are not satisfied with the decision, which rejected our petition.
"I want to assure Nigerians that the NFF has immediately commenced the process of appealing the decision."
As Nigeria await a verdict from their appeal which is now expected to go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Eric Chelle’s side have an international friendly to prepare for.
The Super Eagles are scheduled to face Iran, who have qualified for the World Cup, on Friday as part of a four-nation invitational tournament being held in Antalya, Turkey.
Chelle has named a 23-man squad for the March international window, but star striker Victor Osimhen - who suffered a fractured arm in Galatasaray’s defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League - has been left out.
