FIFA in conjunction with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have introduce new regulations that could disadvantage the DR Congo and other potential second-placed teams in the qualification groups for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
With Eritrea, who were placed in Group E, having withdrawn from the qualifiers, their abrupt absence has led to an imbalance in the group points structure as runners up in the 9 qualification groups seek to clinch a second shot at making it to the World Cup through the play-off slots.
In response, CAF has announced reforms aimed at nullifying the results obtained against the teams ranked last in each of the groups to restore fairness in the comparison of the best runners-up, who could be called upon to compete in the continental play-offs.
DR Congo’s Les Leopards have since been threatened by this new reform which will could result in crucial loss of points
Second in Group B with 16 points, the Leopards would be directly impacted by this potential reform as they have notably won two matches against South Sudan, who currently bottom of Group B.
The six points earned from the two victories over South Sudan will be deducted hence jeopardizing the DR Congo’s hopes of qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 1974.
Sebastian Desabre’s side come up against Togo at the Stade de Kegué in Lomé this afternoon before wrapping up their World Cup qualification campaign next week against Sudan in Kinshasa.
