Football/Congo forfeits World Cup Qualifier against Niger over stadium dispute

A tumultuous situation led to the Congo’s national football team, the Red Devils, forfeiting their World Cup 2026 qualifying match against Niger, scheduled for June 6th.

Initially, the Congo had their home matches relocated to Kinshasa due to the poor condition of the synthetic turf at the Alphonse-Massamba-Débat Stadium.

In response, Congolese authorities quickly refurbished the pitch and obtained certification to host international matches.

However, Niger had already set up their base in Kinshasa and refused to travel to Brazzaville despite the Congolese authorities’ attempts at negotiation, including high-level diplomatic exchanges.

The Nigerien president had initially agreed for the match to be played in Brazzaville, but a last-minute reversal of this decision was communicated via WhatsApp.

Consequently, the Congo refused to play in Kinshasa, accepting the forfeit. Niger thus gains the three points by default.