Nigeria's football coach has accused the Democratic Republic of the Congo of engaging in "voodoo" after his team's chances of making it to the 2026 World Cup were dashed in the African play-off final penalty shootout defeat. In Sunday's match in Rabat, DR Congo and Nigeria tied 1-1 after extra time, and the Central Africans prevailed 4-3 on penalties to secure a spot in the inter-confederation play-offs in Mexico in March of next year. Coach Eric Chelle told reporters that a member of the DR Congo team "did some voodoo, every time, every time, every time" during his post-match comments.

"That is why I was a bit nervous," stated Chelle, a former Mali international who became leadership of Nigeria in January.
Chelle had acknowledged that it would "be very difficult in Morocco" before the game.
He claimed to have seen a member of the Democratic Republic of the Congo shaking or sprinkling something with his hand. "I don't know if it's water or something like that."
DR Congo captain Chancel Mbemba braved a bottle thrown at him and pouring rain to convert the decisive penalty in a tense shootout that saw four spot-kicks saved and one missed as his nation looks to return to the world championship after a long absence.

The pre-match favorites were Nigeria, an African football powerhouse ranked 19 spots higher than DR Congo.
For the second consecutive World Cup, the Super Eagles were unable to qualify. Since their 1994 debut, they had not missed consecutive editions.
In a statement, the Nigeria Football Federation called the defeat "a moment of profound sadness for Nigerian football" and expressed its desire "to openly and sincerely apologise" for missing out on the World Cup.
"Missing out on the World Cup for a second consecutive time is a disappointment of great weight and emotional depth," the federation posted on social media.The team was advised by President Bola Tinubu to "put behind them the loss" and concentrate on getting ready for the Africa Cup of Nations, which will take place in Morocco from December 21 to January 18.