2026 World Cup Team Chronicle·DR Congo: from an old Zaire photograph to Tuanzebe in extra time

DR Congo's World Cup story begins with an old name: Zaire.

In 1974, in West Germany, Zaire became the first Black African team to play at a World Cup. What many remember is not attack but a strange clip against Brazil: before a free kick, Mwepu Ilunga ran out of the wall and kicked the ball away. For years, outsiders treated it as comedy.

The story behind it was not funny: political pressure, bonus disputes, threats, confusion. A World Cup camera can be cruel. It cuts one gesture and repeats it without carrying the world behind it.

So DR Congo cannot be written only through that kick. It also needs the other one, fifty-two years later.

In the 2026 intercontinental playoff against Jamaica, after 90 minutes without a goal, Axel Tuanzebe scored in extra time. 1-0. DR Congo returned.

Cedric Bakambu, Yoane Wissa, Chancel Mbemba, Samuel Moutoussamy, Gael Kakuta, Tuanzebe: names scattered across clubs, pulled together by the national shirt. The nickname is the Leopards. A leopard does not roar all the time. It waits, then starts suddenly.

Group K is full of texture: Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan, DR Congo. Portugal have old light and new technique; Colombia have Luis Diaz and South American resilience; Uzbekistan arrive disciplined and young. DR Congo cannot live only on body. They need the second action after the first duel, the pass after the recovery, the calm after taking the lead.

They are not a fairy tale. That would be too light. The country behind the team is too heavy for that. But one extra-time goal can open a window in heavy reality. In 1974, an old image helped the world misread them. In 2026, they can make a new one.

2026 squad list by position

Note: projected from recent call-ups and qualifying use as of May 2026. The final 26-player squad depends on the official roster.

• Goalkeepers: Dimitry Bertaud, Lionel Mpasi, Timothy Fayulu
• Defenders: Chancel Mbemba, Axel Tuanzebe, Dylan Batubinsika, Arthur Masuaku, Gedeon Kalulu, Henock Inonga, Joris Kayembe
• Midfielders: Samuel Moutoussamy, Gael Kakuta, Edo Kayembe, Charles Pickel, Theo Bongonda, Aaron Tshibola
• Forwards: Cedric Bakambu, Yoane Wissa, Simon Banza, Fiston Mayele, Meschack Elia, Silas Katompa Mvumpa

If you like reading the World Cup through nationality, position, and roles, play a round here: https://wordlecup.today/en/football/