FIFA Launch Official Investigation That Could Block Nation’s World Cup Qualification
- The 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Africa have taken a dramatic twist as FIFA confirmed an official investigation into a team that refused to travel for its scheduled match
- The controversy erupted just hours before kickoff when the home federation announced the game’s cancellation, citing “unexpected travel complications” involving the visitors
- Reports later disclosed that the players had voted against traveling due to concerns over health and fatigue
FIFA have officially launched an investigation into a national team, and it could potentially stop them from qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, set to take place across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, is now less than eight months away.
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Final qualification matches will continue from next month, as nations battle for one of the 48 available spots in the expanded tournament.
So far, 22 countries have already secured their place in North America, leaving 28 spots still up for grabs.
While each continental confederation has its own qualification format, every region still has crucial games left to determine who makes the final cut.
However, for one country, the dream of reaching the World Cup could be in jeopardy.
FIFA has launched an official investigation that may have serious consequences and could even rule them out of the competition entirely.
At the 2026 World Cup, there will be at least nine nations representing the Confederation of African Football (CAF), with the possibility of a tenth team joining if they secure qualification through the inter-confederation play-offs.
To determine which teams will travel to North America, African nations were divided into nine groups of six.
The winner of each group automatically qualifies for the tournament, while the four best runners-up will compete in play-offs to decide who advances to the inter-confederation play-offs.
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African country faces expulsion
However, things have become even more complicated for Equatorial Guinea. FIFA has launched an official investigation into the African nation after they failed to appear for their latest World Cup qualifying match.
On Thursday night, Malawi were scheduled to host Equatorial Guinea at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe, their capital.
But just hours before kickoff, the Football Association of Malawi announced that the game had been cancelled due to “unforeseen travel complications” affecting their opponents.
Now, FIFA’s disciplinary committee has confirmed it will investigate the circumstances behind Equatorial Guinea’s failure to travel for the fixture.
Equatorial Guinea had already forfeited their first two World Cup qualifying matches last November, with both recorded as 3–0 defeats after FIFA ruled that team captain Emilio Nsue was ineligible to represent the country in those games.
Nsue was later cleared to play again for Equatorial Guinea, and the team managed to fight their way back into contention for a playoff spot, currently sitting second in their group behind leaders Tunisia.
In an official statement confirming the cancellation of their most recent match, the Football Association of Malawi explained that the decision was made “due to unforeseen travel complications affecting the visiting team.”
However, a post on Equatorial Guinea’s official football account revealed that the players themselves had voted against traveling, citing health concerns after being instructed to take an overnight flight that would have landed just hours before kickoff.
Following the incident, the national federation announced the suspension of head coach Juan Micha, accusing both him and the players of showing disrespect to the people of Equatorial Guinea.
Meanwhile, FIFA has confirmed that Russia remains barred from the World Cup.
The European country has been suspended by both FIFA and UEFA since February 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine and has not yet been reinstated to competitive football.
FIFA could ban India from international football
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that FIFA could soon hand out another major punishment in international football.
India is reportedly facing a ban over the current constitution of its football association, with the matter in court.
Source: YEN.com.gh
