FIFA Knew DR Congo's Goalkeeper Was Ineligible — and Let Him Play the World Cup Anyway
Reports emerging in October 2026 allege something remarkable: FIFA's own legal department determined, as early as March 2026, that DR Congo's starting goalkeeper wasn't eligible to represent the country at all — and the team was allowed to play its way into the World Cup, and then through all four of its matches at the tournament itself, anyway. Here's the full story of Lionel Mpasi's eligibility scandal.
Who Is Lionel Mpasi, and What Made Him Ineligible
Mpasi holds both French and Congolese nationality. The problem, according to reports, traces back to June 2011, when he played for France at Under-17 level in a European Championship qualifier against Serbia — an appearance that, under FIFA's rules, provisionally 'cap-tied' him to France. To switch his international allegiance to DR Congo later in his career, he needed to complete a formal nationality-change process with FIFA. Reports allege he never did.
How Nigeria Found Out
The issue first surfaced after Nigeria lost to DR Congo on penalties in the African intercontinental playoff final in November 2025 — a defeat that knocked the Super Eagles out of World Cup contention. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) lodged a formal objection over Mpasi's eligibility. According to reports, FIFA's own legal team then investigated and confirmed the irregularity internally by March 2026 — well before DR Congo's final intercontinental playoff match against Jamaica, and months before the World Cup itself kicked off.
FIFA Let Him Play Anyway
Despite reportedly confirming the eligibility problem internally, FIFA took no action. Mpasi went on to start all four of DR Congo's World Cup matches, including their Round of 32 clash with England. Goal.com's reporting on the episode didn't mince words, describing it as "cheating, manipulation and cover-up."
FIFA's Official Line: Nothing to See Here
Publicly, FIFA has told a different story entirely — stating there were no eligibility concerns over Mpasi for either the Jamaica playoff or the World Cup itself, directly at odds with reports of its own internal legal findings. CONCACAF, the confederation whose own member federation (Jamaica) was eliminated by the DR Congo side Mpasi played for, has publicly said it "expects the applicable regulations and procedures to be applied consistently and fairly" — about as pointed a statement as a confederation typically makes without filing a formal complaint of its own.
What Happens to Nigeria's Original Complaint
Nigeria's objection, the one that started the whole inquiry, was ultimately rejected by FIFA on procedural grounds — reportedly filed outside the required time window for that kind of challenge. That means the November 2025 playoff result stands no matter what the eligibility investigation actually found, and DR Congo's World Cup run — ineligible goalkeeper and all — remains on the books as official.
5 Things to Know
1. DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi was reportedly flagged as ineligible by FIFA's own legal team as early as March 2026.
2. The issue: Mpasi played for France at Under-17 level in 2011 and, according to reports, never completed the formal process to switch his allegiance to DR Congo.
3. Nigeria first raised the objection after losing to DR Congo on penalties in the November 2025 playoff final.
4. Mpasi played all four of DR Congo's matches at the 2026 World Cup, including against England, despite the internal finding.
5. FIFA has publicly denied any eligibility concerns, while Nigeria's original objection was rejected on procedural, not merits-based, grounds.