Senegal players during 2025 Africa Cup of Nations match between Senegal and Botswana on the 23 December 2025 at Grand Stadium Tangier ©Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix
Friday Dec 26, 2025. 12:00
Senegal and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) are set for a momentous group D clash at the Grand Stade de Tanger in Tangier on Saturday as the two sides meet for a third time at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Kick-off is at 5pm CAT.
The Lions of Teranga opened their campaign with a convincing 3-0 win over Botswana in Tangier on Tuesday, while the Leopards claimed a 1-0 victory against Benin in Rabat on the same day.
Senegal has now won its opening match in each of its last six AFCON appearances, equalling its streak of opening-game victories from between 1976 and 1988. The nation is unbeaten in its last eight AFCON group-stage matches with six wins and two draws.
DR Congo will be looking to create history, having never begun an AFCON tournament with back-to-back wins, including its title-winning campaigns in 1968 and 1974. The country has not won its second game at the tournament since the 1996 edition.
Both teams sit on three points, but Senegal has claimed top spot in group D with a superior goal difference.
DR Congo reached the semi-finals of the last edition in Côte d’Ivoire but fell to the hosts and missed out on the Bronze medal to South Africa. Senegal, who were defending champions, suffered a shock exit in the round of 16, losing to the hosts on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
A win over the much-fancied Lions of Teranga could serve as a good omen for the Leopards, as the last two teams to defeat Senegal in their second group match went on to claim the title, those being Zambia in 2012 and Algeria in 2019.
The two nations have faced each other a total of 10 times, with two of those coming at the continental showpiece. Those two games are split with each side managing one win, but Senegal has the better record overall with six wins to DR Congo’s two.
By Nic Gleeson