{
  "id": 12375974,
  "title": "World Cup: Fifa finds DR Congo goalkeeper, Mpasi was ineligible to play against Nigeria",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/world-cup-fifa-finds-dr-congo-goalkeeper-mpasi-was-ineligible-to-play",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-06T12:15:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Post Nigeria",
    "slug": "daily-post-nigeria",
    "url": "https://dailypost.ng/2026/10/06/world-cup-fifa-finds-dr-congo-goalkeeper-mpasi-was-ineligible-to-play-against-nigeria/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Fifa has concluded that Democratic Republic of Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi was ineligible to participate in the 2026 World Cup qualifying matches. Investigations by French newspaper Le Monde and American publication The New York Times revealed that Fifa's legal team found Mpasi, who holds both French and Congolese citizenship, had not completed the necessary process to transfer his allegiance to the Democratic Republic of Congo after representing France at the youth level. Born in Meaux to parents of Congolese heritage, Mpasi became provisionally bound to France following his appearance in an U17 Euro qualifier against Serbia in June 2011. This discovery came after Nigeria's Football Federation lodged a formal objection following their penalty shootout loss to the DR Congo in the African playoff final in November 2025. The NFF had questioned the nationality of several DR Congo players due to nationality concerns and issues with their passports. Despite this revelation, Fifa did not impose any disciplinary actions against the Democratic Republic of Congo, allowing them to advance to the intercontinental playoff against Jamaica. DR Congo ultimately defeated Jamaica 1-0 in extra time, with Mpasi serving as their goalkeeper, securing their qualification for the 2026 World Cup.",
  "summary": "Fifa has found that Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, goalkeeper, Lionel Mpasi, was ineligible to play for the country throughout the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign. Investigations by Le Monde and The New York Times claim Fifa’s legal team found that Mpasi, who holds French and Congolese nationality, had not completed the required process to […] World Cup: Fifa finds DR Congo goalkeeper,…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Gianni Infantino faces fresh World Cup eligibility scandal over goalkeeper who played against England",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/gianni-infantino-faces-fresh-world-cup-eligibility-scandal-over",
        "published": "2026-10-06T11:07:31.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}