According to a report by Vanguard News on Friday, November 13, 2026, Nigeria's ambition of securing a place in the men's football event at the Olympic Games has suffered a setback following a 2-0 defeat suffered by the country's Under-23 team, the Olympic Eagles, against the Democratic Republic of Congo in the first leg of their second-round qualifying fixture for the 2027 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations.

The match was played in Lubumbashi, where Nigeria struggled to convert their scoring opportunities and eventually conceded twice before the end of the first half, leaving them with a difficult task ahead of the return fixture.

The Olympic Eagles began the game positively, hoping to secure a favourable result on foreign soil. However, Victor Samuel failed to make the most of two clear opportunities during the early stages, including a one-on-one chance against DR Congo's goalkeeper.

Nigeria paid for those missed opportunities when the hosts took the lead in the 20th minute. Although Nigerian goalkeeper Samuel James appeared to have been brought down during the move leading to the goal, the referee did not overturn the decision.

Things became worse for Nigeria after Brighton youngster Zadok Yohanna sustained an injury and was unable to continue. DR Congo capitalised on the situation by extending their lead through Felozefe Mabete, whose well-taken free-kick made it 2-0 before half-time.

The Nigerian side attempted to fight their way back into the contest after the restart, but DR Congo remained disciplined at the back and successfully prevented the visitors from finding the net.

Following the defeat, the Olympic Eagles must now produce a convincing performance in the second leg to keep their qualification hopes alive. Nigeria will welcome DR Congo to the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne on Tuesday, November 17, where they will need to overturn the two-goal deficit.

The 2027 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations in Egypt is an important competition for Nigeria because it will also determine Africa's representatives in the men's football event at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Nigeria's last appearance in Olympic men's football came at the 2016 edition in Rio de Janeiro, where the country won a bronze medal after recording a 3-2 victory over Honduras in the third-place encounter.

Since that achievement, the Olympic Eagles have missed out on qualification for the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games.

With the 2-0 loss to DR Congo, Nigeria now faces another difficult challenge in its attempt to return to the Olympic football competition. Nevertheless, the team still has an opportunity to turn things around when both sides meet again in Ikenne for the decisive second-leg encounter.