Algeria Football – An opponent of the Moroccan national team in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers was doubly sanctioned.
Unsurprisingly, Congo, which is part of the Morocco group, has just suffered a severe double sanction following its withdrawal against Niger at the start of the month, during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
By refusing to travel to Kinshasa to face Niger (match counting for the 3rd day of the qualifiers), Congo was officially declared forfeit by FIFA. The Red Devils will therefore not benefit from the possibility of playing this match at a later date. This decision was taken after the Congolese Ministry of Sports banned the team from traveling to the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the match was to be relocated. This boycott was a sign of disagreement with Niger, accused of not having kept its commitments.
“In accordance with Article 58 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the Congo – Niger match initially scheduled for 6 June 2024 as part of the preliminary competition of the 2026 World Cup is declared lost by forfeit 3-0 by the Congolese national team,” FIFA said. In addition to this administrative defeat, a second financial sanction was announced: “The Congolese Football Federation is fined CHF 10,000 (approximately €10,400).”
Possibility of appeal for Congo
The Congolese Federation, however, has the possibility of appealing this decision. Despite this sanction, the Red Devils honoured their commitment by playing against Morocco a few days later in Agadir, although this match ended in a heavy 6-0 defeat. Thus, they escape total disqualification from the competition, a threat that seriously hung over them.
The team led by Isaac Ngata can therefore continue its qualifying campaign. However, with 0 points on the clock in Group E, the hopes of participation in the 2026 World Cup already seem very compromised. Morocco leads the group with 9 points, while Niger is in second place with 6 points.
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