Hommam Al Nassim 
The Congolese Minister of Sports, Hughes Nguilondile, announced that his country had withdrawn from its match against Niger in the African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
This decision came after the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) refused to allow Congo to host the match at the Alphonse Masamba Debate Stadium in the capital, Brazzaville, and FIFA’s insistence on holding it at the Martyrs Stadium in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Nguilondile said: “The Congo national team will not play in Kinshasa. We accept the apology because the Congo is a country that sticks to its word, and when we give our word, we respect it. When we face a situation that does not conform to our values, we do not go along with it, and that is why the decision to withdraw was taken.”
This decision raised the possibility of canceling the match between the Moroccan national team and the Congolese national team, scheduled for next Tuesday, June 11, as it was also scheduled to be played in the same stadium in Kinshasa, and the Congolese Ministry of Sports insists on its position to play its matches in the capital, Brazzaville.
Congolese media had announced the desire of the Congo-Brazzaville Football Association to change the venue for the third and fourth round matches against Niger and Morocco to the Alphonse Masamba Debate Stadium instead of the Martyrs Stadium in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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