"Cheating, manipulation and cover-up": FIFA uncovers suspected forgery and lets a national team make its way to the World Cup
Crises follow Infantino
FIFA knew Lionel Mpasi was ineligible to play in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, yet imposed no sanction on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to investigations by Le Monde and the New York Times. Enforcing the rules could have changed the course of the "Leopards'" World Cup qualification.
FIFA's legal team made the discovery in March 2026. The Congo goalkeeper had never completed the switch of his sporting affiliation from the French federation to the Congolese one, despite turning out for the DR Congo national team throughout the qualifiers, including the decisive showdown with Nigeria.
Mpasi had represented France at youth level, which left his international eligibility open to legal dispute.
The case dates back to November 2025. After losing to DR Congo on penalties in the final of the African play-off, the Nigeria Football Federation lodged a protest, demanding the Congolese be penalised for fielding ineligible players and citing breaches over nationality and players' documents.
FIFA found no breach warranting a sanction at first. The legal team then re-examined the file after the Nigerian federation submitted a follow-up request in March 2026, uncovering Mpasi's ineligibility.
Le Monde notes that the player holds both French and Congolese nationality and featured in several matches for France's youth sides, all while the paperwork to change his national federation, begun in 2021, remained incomplete.
Article 19 of FIFA's disciplinary code gives the case its weight. Le Monde reports that it requires a team fielding an ineligible player to be handed a notional defeat and a fine, provided the breach is proven on the basis of a complaint. The investigation also pointed to precedents where FIFA punished national teams for similar breaches.
Applying that rule could have changed Africa's representative in the global play-off. Nigeria might have taken DR Congo's place against Jamaica, before the Congolese sealed their World Cup ticket by beating Jamaica by a single unanswered goal after extra time.
FIFA rejected the Nigerian complaint on procedural and timing grounds. In its response to Le Monde, the governing body said its disciplinary committee had considered the complaint and chosen not to accept it, and that the decision became final and binding once no appeal was lodged under the agreed procedures.
FIFA insists its judicial bodies acted independently and denies any interference from president Gianni Infantino. Even so, the two investigations reopen the file on how its regulations were applied in one of the most contentious cases tied to a national team's qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
