Nigeria, DR Congo to clash for World Cup berth after dramatic semifinal wins

Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo will face off in the final of the African play-offs on Sunday, moving one step closer to a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Both teams secured their spots with hard-fought victories in their semifinal matches on Thursday.

Nigeria booked its ticket with a 4-1 extra-time victory over Gabon. The match was a tense affair, with Akor Adams putting Nigeria ahead in the 78th minute, only for Mario Lamina to score a dramatic stoppage-time equalizer for Gabon, sending the game into extra time.

The Super Eagles dominated the additional period. Chidera Ejuke restored Nigeria’s lead in the 98th minute, and star striker Victor Osimhen took over from there. Osimhen scored two goals in extra time to seal the victory, bringing his international goal tally to 31.

In the other semifinal, the Democratic Republic of Congo defeated rivals Cameroon in a nail-biting contest. The decisive moment came deep into second-half stoppage time when Chancel Mbemba found the net to secure a 1-0 win for the Leopards.

The upcoming final pits Nigeria, who are seeking a seventh World Cup appearance, against a DR Congo team that has not qualified for the tournament since 1974, when the nation was known as Zaire.

The winner of Sunday’s final will advance to an intercontinental play-off tournament. This six-team competition, expected to be held in Mexico, will feature nations from four other FIFA confederations. The two highest-ranked teams will receive byes to the final, while the other four will compete in one-off semifinals.

The two winners of the final matches will earn the last spots at the expanded 48-team 2026 World Cup, to be hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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