52 years. That’s the very long time that the Democratic Republic of the Congo had to wait to experience the joy of qualifying for a World Cup again. In the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, the Congolese played a playoff match against Jamaica in Monterrey, Mexico, after defeating Nigeria last November in the final playoffs for the Africa zone.
And after a suspenseful match, thanks to a goal from a corner kick by Axel Tuanzebe in extra time, the DRC finally secured their ticket to the World Cup (1-0), their first since the 1974 edition in West Germany, when the country was still known as Zaire.
This significant achievement was accomplished by a team led by Sébastien Desabre, former coach of the Chamois from 2020 to 2022, who has been leading the Leopards since August 2022 and has already participated in two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, notably reaching the semifinals in the 2024 edition.
This summer, Cedric Bakambu’s teammates will be placed in Group K, alongside Colombia, Portugal, and Uzbekistan, with matches scheduled in Mexico and the United States.
