{"id":13674,"date":"2025-11-13T01:42:50","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T01:42:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/13\/fifa-secures-two-congo-players-to-participate-in-african-qualifying-playoffs\/"},"modified":"2025-11-13T01:42:50","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T01:42:50","slug":"fifa-secures-two-congo-players-to-participate-in-african-qualifying-playoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/13\/fifa-secures-two-congo-players-to-participate-in-african-qualifying-playoffs\/","title":{"rendered":"FIFA secures two Congo players to participate in African qualifying playoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"


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ZURICH (AP) \u2014 FIFA has approved two soccer players to change international eligibility from Belgium to Congo ahead of the 2026 World Cup Africa qualifying play-offs starting Thursday.<\/p>\n

Celtic forward Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Standard Li\u00e8ge goalkeeper Mathieu Eppolo are available to represent Congo in the play-off semi-final against Cameroon.<\/p>\n

Both players have Congolese family ties and were born in Belgium. They had represented Belgium at youth and Under-21 level but were not the first national team and FIFA approved the change.<\/p>\n

FIFA announced that Epolo’s transfer was approved on Wednesday and Balikwisha’s on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

The winner of Congo vs. Cameroon will advance to Sunday’s play-off final where they will face the winner of Congo vs. Cameroon. Nigeria<\/span> Thursday’s match against Gabon. All playoff games will be played in Rabat, Morocco.<\/p>\n

Africa’s playoff winners will advance to a six-team intercontinental playoff in March, with two teams competing in the World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.<\/p>\n

Congo qualified for the World Cup only once, when they played in West Germany in 1974 as Zaire.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP Soccer: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/soccer<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n


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Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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