Monday Jun 01, 2026. 12:55
With DR Congo returning to the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1974, The Leopards have come a long way since noting a rare feat in their initial appearance of the world-renowned showpiece.
The Leopards booked their ticket in the Americas after taking the FIFA Play-off tournament route, competing in WC African play-offs as one of the four best second-placed teams in their CAF Qualification bid.
After seeing off Cameroon with a 1-0 win in the semi-finals, DR Congo claimed a 4-3 win on penalties against Nigeria in the final after the game ended 1-1 in regulation time. Sebastien Desabre’s charges then took on Jamaica in the FIFA Play-off tournament final where Axel Tuanzebe scored from a corner in a 1-0 win after extra-time to secure their place at the World Cup.
DR Congo first appeared at the World Cup in 1974 and competed under the nation’s former name, Zaire, at the time.
With the tournament held in Germany, The Leopards were drawn alongside Yugoslavia, Brazil and Scotland in Group 2, where they recorded three losses en-route to a fourth place finish.
In the opening match, which took place at Westfalenstadion in Dortmund, DR Congo slumped to a 2-0 loss against Scotland. Their tournament went from bad to worse in matchday two, where they suffered a mammoth 9-0 defeat against Yugoslavia at Parkstadion.
Then, in the same grounds, DR Congo recorded a 3-0 loss against a star-studded Brazil side that included the likes of Jairzinho and Rivellino.
At the time, DR Congo was the only African nation competing at the World Cup and just the third African side to play at the showpiece following Egypt and Morocco.
In 2026, DR Congo have been placed alongside Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan in Group K. As one of the feature matches of the group stages, DR Congo will take on Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in their opening match at the NRG Stadium in Houston on 17 June.