Nigeria exited the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification race on Sunday after a dramatic 3-4 on penalies to the Democratic Republic of Congo, following a tensed 1-1 draw.
Both teams qualified for the final after dramatic semi-finals.
Nigeria sailed through to the final after beating Gabon 4–1 in extra-time on Thursday at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco.
DR Congo also defeated Cameroon 1-0 at the Al Barid Stadium to set up a final clash with Nigeria.
Frank Onyeka opened the scoring for Nigeria in the 3rd minute before Mechak Elia equalised in the 32nd minute for the Leopards.
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Calvin Bassey and Moses Simon missed their chances early in the match and Nwabali was at his best when he denied the leoprads their two penalty kicks.
Nwabali’s two saves in the shootout was not enough to cancel out misses from Calvin Bassey, Moses Simon, and Semi Ajayi.
Chancel Mbemba scored the winning penalty kick to send the Leopards into the intercontinental playoffs for the World Cup which will be held in March 2026.
The defeat marks Nigeria’s second consecutive failure at the play-off stage, following their loss to Ghana on away goals in the final qualifying round for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
It makes it the first time Nigeria have failed to qualify for two consecutive World Cups since the country’s debut in 1994.
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