Equatorial Guinea has been forced to forfeit their first two matches in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers after FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee ruled that former Spanish junior international Emilio Nsue was ineligible to play in both games. Nsue, 34, had scored the winning goals in both victories against Namibia and Liberia last November.

FIFA confirmed on Friday that Nsue has been handed a six-month ban from international football, although no specific reasons for his ineligibility were provided. This is not the first time Nsue’s participation has led to consequences for Equatorial Guinea. During the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, the team also had to forfeit two matches due to his ineligibility, though FIFA did not clarify the reasons on that occasion either.

Despite these prior issues, Nsue was allowed to compete in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup qualifiers, adding to the complexity of the situation. Most recently, Nsue emerged as the top scorer in the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year in Ivory Coast, netting five goals and securing the Golden Boot, though he missed a crucial penalty in the round of 16 against Guinea.

FIFA’s ruling means that the 1-0 victories Equatorial Guinea achieved against Liberia and Namibia will now be overturned, with both matches being recorded as 3-0 defeats. “After reviewing all elements, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee was comfortably satisfied that the player was ineligible and declared the matches lost by forfeit,” FIFA said in their statement.

Equatorial Guinea will now face a steep challenge in their upcoming qualifiers. They are scheduled to play Tunisia on June 5, followed by a home game against Malawi five days later. The forfeits have left the team six points behind group leaders Tunisia and Namibia, with only the top team in the six-nation group guaranteed a spot in the 2026 World Cup finals in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.