Prolific striker Victor Osimhen could prove decisive when Nigeria take on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) on Sunday in a high-stakes 2026 World Cup qualifying play-off in Rabat.

The winner of the African play-offs final will advance to a six-nation intercontinental tournament in Mexico in March, featuring teams from every football region except Europe. The losers, however, will be eliminated from contention for the expanded 48-nation World Cup, set to be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Both Nigeria and DR Congo earned a second chance to qualify after finishing as the best runners-up across Africa’s nine qualifying groups. In Thursday’s semi-finals, Osimhen scored twice in extra time as Nigeria defeated Gabon 4-1, while Chancel Mbemba secured a late 1-0 win for DR Congo over Cameroon.

The 26-year-old Osimhen, 2023 African Player of the Year, has been in prolific form, including a hat-trick in a 4-0 win over Benin last month that helped Nigeria reach the play-offs. Wearing a protective mask due to facial injuries sustained four years ago, Osimhen was a constant threat against Gabon and could have scored even more. He admitted to missing a clear chance in regulation time but redeemed himself with two extra-time goals.

“I was gutted after failing to score from that opportunity. It was a bad miss,” Osimhen told reporters. “Sometimes I score amazing goals no one expects, and other times I miss when people expect me to score. I apologized to my teammates after that miss and promised to find the net in extra time, which I did twice.”

Nigeria, nicknamed the Super Eagles, have qualified for the World Cup six times in eight attempts since their debut in 1994 and have never missed consecutive tournaments. They are determined to atone for the play-off loss to Ghana that denied them a spot in Qatar three years ago.

Ranked 19 places above DR Congo, Nigeria are favorites on paper, but coach Eric Chelle remains cautious.

“The victory over Gabon means nothing. We now face formidable opponents in DR Congo, and only after a win will there be time to celebrate,” Chelle said. “The key to success over Gabon was passion. It was about working together. We have to rediscover that passion against the Congolese.”

DR Congo, who last appeared at the World Cup in 1974 when the country was known as Zaire, have been revitalized under French coach Sébastien Desabre. With captain Chancel Mbemba leading from the back, the Leopards have become a disciplined, combative side.

“We have experienced players. What we are putting in place has not happened overnight. We are going to give our all against Nigeria,” Desabre promised.

Despite Nigeria having 16 World Cup qualifying campaigns to DR Congo’s 12, this will be the first meeting between the two sides. The clash takes place at the 22,000-seat Prince Héritier Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat.

Elsewhere, Bolivia and New Caledonia have secured intercontinental tournament spots, while Iraq or the UAE will represent Asia, and Jamaica and Panama are in contention for the two Central American/Caribbean qualifying slots.