ZURICH: FIFA approved two soccer players to change national eligibility to Congo from Belgium ahead of 2026 World Cup qualifying playoffs for Africa starting Thursday.
Celtic forward Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Standard Liege goalkeeper Matthieu Epolo are now available to play for Congo against Cameroon in a playoffs semifinal.
Both players have Congolese family ties and were born in Belgium. They represented Belgium at youth and Under-21 level though not the senior national team, which let FIFA approve the changes.
FIFA said Epolo’s move was approved Wednesday and Balikwisha was cleared Tuesday.
The winner of Congo vs. Cameroon will advance to a playoff final Sunday against the winner of Nigeria vs. Gabon on Thursday. The entire playoff bracket is being played in Rabat, Morocco.
The African playoff winner advances to the six-team intercontinental playoffs in March that will send two teams to the World Cup being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Congo qualified for the World Cup just once, when as Zaire the team played at the 1974 edition in West Germany.
FIFA clears 2 recruits for Congo to play in African qualifying playoffs
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FIFA clears 2 recruits for Congo to play in African qualifying playoffs
- Both players have Congolese family ties and were born in Belgium
- FIFA said Epolo’s move was approved Wednesday and Balikwisha was cleared Tuesday
Norway’s Carlsen wins first FIDE Freestyle World Chess Championship
Norway’s Magnus Carlsen added another crown to his collection on Sunday by becoming the first official FIDE Freestyle Chess world champion after a comeback win over Fabiano Caruana in Germany.
The chess master secured the title with a cautious draw in the fourth and final game, clinching a 2.5–1.5 match victory against his 33-year-old American opponent in Weissenhaus.
Sunday’s turning point came in the thrilling third game, in which Carlsen, 35, pulled off a stunning win from a seemingly lost position, swinging the entire contest in his favor.
The world number one only needed a draw in the decisive fourth game, and that’s exactly what he got in an equal endgame, with Caruana missing late opportunities to mount a comeback.
Carlsen has now won 21 world titles in various formats.
The World Championship marked a breakthrough collaboration between FIDE and private organizer Freestyle Chess, staging the first officially recognized title in this format.
Carlsen had previously failed to capture the FIDE Fischer Random World Championship, making this victory particularly sweet for the chess great.
In the bronze medal match, Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov beat Germany’s Vincent Keymer, securing his spot by drawing from a winning position in the final game.
Both finalists and Abdusattorov have qualified for next year’s championship.
The tournament’s lower placings saw Hans Niemann of the United States take fifth with a 2-0 victory over India’s Arjun Erigaisi, while Armenia’s Levon Aronian won his Armageddon game against Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov for seventh place.
In the women’s exhibition match, Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva prevailed over Switzerland’s Alexandra Kosteniuk after their final encounter ended in a draw.
