Nigeria vs DR Congo: How the Super Eagles can qualify for the World Cup

Nigeria's route to the 2026 FIFA World Cup will heavily depend on its official FIFA ranking heading into the intercontinental play-offs if they beat Congo on Sunday.

The Super Eagles will play DR Congo on Sunday in the final CAF World Cup playoffs in Morocco.

The winner of the match will advance to the inter-confederation playoffs, where two teams will earn direct qualification to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

A new, revamped play-off system offers an advantage to the two highest-ranked nations, who will be seeded directly into the final qualifying matches in Mexico.

The updated format will feature six teams competing in the intercontinental playoffs. The four lowest-ranked teams will first face off in a semi-final round.

The two winners from those matches will then advance to play against the two top-seeded teams for the final World Cup spots.

The implications for the Super Eagles are clear. If Nigeria secures a position as one of the top two-ranked teams entering the play-offs, their path to qualification is simplified to a single, winner-takes-all match in Mexico.

However, if the Super Eagles are ranked outside the top two, their journey becomes much more challenging.

They would be required to win two consecutive knockout games, a semifinal and a final, to secure their spot in the tournament.

This would add another layer of difficulty to their quest to return to the World Cup for the first time since 2018.