Nigeria’s midfielder Wilfred Ndidi will be eligible to participate in the World Cup qualifying play-off final against DR Congo, despite an initial suspension.
The Besiktas player was thought to be sidelined for Sunday’s match after receiving two yellow cards during the Super Eagles’ qualifying campaign.
Earlier reports indicated that players who received two yellow cards in the qualification rounds would face suspension, and Eric Chelle feared the worst when Ndidi received a yellow card against Gabon in the semi-final.
Ndidi’s first yellow card was issued during a match against Benin in 2024, where the Super Eagles won 3-0.
However, Nigeria announced on Saturday that Ndidi will be allowed to play in the final, as CAF determined that yellow cards from the standard qualifiers do not carry over to the play-offs.
Consequently, Ndidi now has only one yellow card on record instead of two.
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Nigeria missed out on automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, finishing behind South Africa in Group D.
As a result, Nigeria was required to compete in a four-team mini-tournament, where the top four ranked runners-up would vie for the opportunity to represent Africa in the inter-confederation play-offs scheduled for March in Mexico.
Nigeria secured their spot in the final in Rabat this Sunday by defeating Gabon on Thursday, while DR Congo advanced after a late victory over Cameroon in the subsequent match.
