Congo has secured the opportunity to become the final African nation to qualify for the World Cup after defeating Nigeria 4-3 on penalties in the African playoff final. In the playoff final held in Morocco, Nigeria was the first to take the lead. After a goal scored by Frank Onyeka, the match was equalized by the end of the first half when Mescha Elia scored for Congo. After that, the score remained level, and Chancel Mbemba secured Congo’s victory in the penalty shootout. This is the first time since 1974 that Congo has come this close to the World Cup.
Congo will now have to compete against champions from other continents for Africa’s final spot. Congo was the African champion in 1968 and 1974. However, since then, the country’s football prominence has significantly diminished. This result marks the second consecutive World Cup that Nigeria has failed to qualify for. However, in this qualification campaign, they have achieved better results than before. The team’s key forward, Victor Osimhen, was in tears after the match.
In next year’s World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada in June, 48 nations will compete for the first time. Of the spots allocated to Africa, Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia have already qualified.
