Congo return to the World Cup after 52 years and open against Portugal in the group stage

On June 17, 2026, the Democratic Republic of the Congo returns to the most important stage in world football. The opponent in their opener? Portugal, the reigning UEFA Nations League champion. Fifty-two years of waiting condensed into 90 minutes.

The memory of 1974 and the need to erase a wound

The last time the Congolese national team set foot in a World Cup, the country was still called Zaire. The result was devastating: three defeats, 14 goals conceded, none scored. The campaign was remembered not for resilience but for helplessness – and became a negative reference point in the history of African football.

More than half a century later, the Leopards arrive with a different proposition. Coach Sébastien Desabre has built a group that relies on defensive organization and fast transitions to try to compete on equal terms with teams of greater tradition. The idea is not to survive. It is to play.

Who makes this team work

The backbone of Congo has names familiar to European football. Chancel Mbemba, a defender with spells at Newcastle and Porto, is the leader of the defense. Up front, Cédric Bakambu carries the experience of someone who has played in heavyweight leagues. Around them, names like Yoane Wissa and Meschack Elia – fast, destabilizing, capable of creating real problems for any defensive line.

The likely Congolese line-up: Lionel Mpasi; Gédéon Kalulu, Chancel Mbemba, Dylan Batubinsika, Arthur Masuaku; Samuel Moutoussamy, Charles Pickel, Edo Kayembe; Meschack Elia, Yoane Wissa, Cédric Bakambu.

The size of the challenge

Portugal arrive at the 2026 World Cup among the favorites. An experienced side, a squad stacked with players who turn out for the biggest clubs on the planet, winners of the last edition of the Nations League. The contrast with the Congolese reality is evident.

But contrast is not impossibility. The World Cup has already seen African teams surprise title contenders in group openers. Congo know this. The motivation of representing a country that waited decades for this moment is not rhetoric – it is real fuel inside a dressing room. The story the Leopards want to write begins in June.