Nigeria will be missing a second straight World Cup after failing to beat Congo DR in a penalty shootout in the CAF World Cup playoff final.
DR Congo beat Nigeria 4-3 on penalties, sealing their place in the inter-confederation playoffs.
Frank Onyeka opened the scoring early for Nigeria, but Meschack Elia levelled the score later in the first half.
The teams played out a scoreless second half and 30 minutes of extra time as the match finished 1-1, before Chancel Mbemba scored the decisive spot kick to send DR Congo to the inter-confederation playoff in search of a first World Cup spot since 1974.
Mbemba had scored in added time in Congo’s 1-0 win against Cameroon on Thursday to secure a place in the final. This time he was the hero in the shootout.
Congo have won the African Cup of Nations two times (1968, 1974), but have only been to the World Cup once in 1974, when the country was known as Zaire.
Up next for Congo is a six-team playoff in March against teams from Concacaf, CONMEBOL, Oceania and Asia, with two of the six teams earning spots for the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada in 2026.
The result means Nigeria, who stumbled out of the gates in qualifying and never recovered, will miss a third World Cup since 2006 and second in a row.
Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen, the leading scorer in the UEFA Champions League, was substituted at halftime.
Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia have already qualified for the World Cup from Africa.
Nine African countries have already qualified via direct entry from the CAF group stage: Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia.
DR Congo could be the 10th if they earn qualification via the inter-confederation playoffs in March.
The intercontinental playoff will feature two teams from the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and one team apiece from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) and the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC).
