Nigeria, Dec. 18 -- The fallout from Nigeria's painful exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers has taken a sharp legal and political turn.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has forcefully dismissed Nigeria's petition to FIFA over alleged player ineligibility, urging the Super Eagles to forget the dispute and focus on the Africa Cup of Nations instead.

Nigeria's complaint stemmed from their elimination after a dramatic penalty shootout defeat to DR Congo in November, a result that ended the Super Eagles' World Cup dream on the pitch.

In the aftermath, the Nigeria Football Federation formally petitioned FIFA, asking the world body to review the match outcome on the grounds that several Congolese players may not have been e...