An investigation by Le Monde and the New York Times highlights a new controversy regarding the Democratic Republic of Congo's qualification for the 2026 World Cup. According to internal documents reviewed by Le Monde, FIFA lawyers determined that Congolese goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi was ineligible during several matches of the African qualifiers. His process of changing sports affiliation from France to the DRC, initiated in 2021, was reportedly never completed.
Lionel Mpasi, who played for France's youth teams, including at the 2011 U17 World Cup, nonetheless participated in several qualifying matches with the Leopards. According to FIFA's legal experts, four qualifying matches in which the goalkeeper took part could pose issues. Their analysis is particularly significant for Burkina Faso: "this disrupts all World Cup 2026 qualifications for the African region: Burkina Faso (and not the DRC) would have reached the African playoff," they state in the documents reviewed by Le Monde.
Despite these findings, no sporting sanctions were ultimately applied to the DRC. FIFA maintains that the complaint filed by the Nigerian Federation was deemed inadmissible due to procedural and timing reasons, a decision that became final due to lack of appeal. The international organization also rejects any intervention by its president Gianni Infantino in disciplinary proceedings.
This situation raises questions about the enforcement of FIFA regulations and could fuel discussions in Burkina Faso, as the organization's legal experts had suggested that the outcome of the African qualification could have been different with strict application of the rules.
