By Kunle Solaja.
Nigeria and DR Congo will square off for the 10th time on Sunday in Rabat, with a coveted African slot in next year’s FIFA World Cup inter-confederation play-offs at stake. The Super Eagles go into the clash with the historical edge, having won five of their nine previous encounters.
Of the past meetings, three were competitive matches at the Africa Cup of Nations — and Nigeria triumphed in all of them.
Their most iconic victory came in 1976, when the then Green Eagles stunned defending champions Zaire (now DR Congo) 4–2 in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, in the opening Group B match. Nigeria eventually finished third in that tournament behind winners Morocco and runners-up Guinea.
Their rivalry dates back to 1966, when both nations met twice in friendly games. Nigeria won the first encounter 3–2 in Lagos but lost the return match 1–0 in Kinshasa.
DR Congo’s biggest victory over Nigeria came three years later, in December 1969, when the host nation thrashed the Green Eagles 5–0 in Kinshasa — still their largest winning margin in the fixture.
Since then, most matches have swung Nigeria’s way. They defeated DR Congo again at the 1992 and 1994 AFCON tournaments and claimed a 5–2 win in a 2010 friendly in Abuja.
That match, played largely with home-based players, doubled as a send-off game on the day Lars Lagerbäck was unveiled as Super Eagles coach for the 2010 World Cup.
Only three regular internationals — Sani Kaita, Elderson Echiejile and Obinna Nsofor — featured briefly.
The sides met in another send-off match on 28 May 2018 in Port Harcourt, ending 1–1. Current captain William Troost-Ekong scored for Nigeria, while Ben Malango earned DR Congo a draw from the penalty spot.
Their most recent victory in the series belongs to DR Congo — a 2–0 win in a 2015 friendly in Belgium. Chancel Mbemba, who scored in Thursday’s semi-final win over Cameroon to mark his 100th international cap, is the only player from that match still in the Congolese squad.
As they prepare for Sunday’s decisive play-off final, Nigeria are targeting a seventh World Cup appearance. DR Congo, meanwhile, hope to return to the global stage for the first time since 1974, when as Zaire they conceded 14 goals without scoring in group-stage losses to Yugoslavia (0–9), Scotland (0–2) and Brazil (0–3).
Sunday’s match in Rabat promises another intense chapter in a long-running rivalry — and a defining moment for both teams’ World Cup ambitions.
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