FIFA has ruled that Emilio Nsue, the top scorer at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, was never eligible to represent Equatorial Guinea during his 11-year international career. The detailed verdict was issued on Monday by the world football governing body.
As a result, FIFA has annulled two wins recorded by Equatorial Guinea in their 2026 World Cup qualifying games last November, where Nsue scored in 1-0 victories over Namibia and Liberia. FIFA stated that Nsue, a former Spain U-21 international, should not have played in those matches and has now banned him from national-team games for six months.
This decision echoes a similar judgment from 2013, where FIFA ordered Equatorial Guinea to forfeit two 2014 World Cup qualifying games due to Nsue’s ineligibility. The report highlighted that Nsue “apparently only acquired Equatoguinean nationality in March 2013, after having played his first international match in an official competition” for Spain.
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Nsue, now 34, played 26 competitive games for Spain’s youth teams from U16 to U21 levels between 2005 and 2011.
