🏆
2
AFCON titles
Champions of Africa in 1968 and 1974 (as Congo-Kinshasa / Zaire).
LES LÉOPARDSFIRST WC SINCE ZAIRE, 1974
FILE No. 50CLASS: DARK HORSESTATUS: THE LEOPARDS RETURNWC 2026 · USA·CAN·MEX
☆From Zaire '74 to the Leopards of 2026.
DR CONGO
Les Léopards// the first African team at a World Cup, back on the stage after half a century
“Zaire opened the door for Africa in 1974. The Leopards walk through it again.”— The view from Kinshasa
The record
2 — 1968, 1974
AFCON titles
Group stage — 1974
Best WC finish
2 — 1974, 2026
WC appearances
#46
FIFA Ranking
01 · The Dossier — The Soul
The first African pioneers,
back at last
As Zaire, they were the first Black African nation to reach a World Cup, in 1974. Fifty-two years later, the Leopards of DR Congo — a vast nation of immense untapped talent — return to the global stage.
Zaire 1974+African pioneers+The diaspora+The return
KinshasaLes LéopardsZaire '74The diasporaBoyo
As Zaire, DR Congo made history in 1974 as the first Black African side at a World Cup — a tournament remembered for hardship and a famous free-kick moment, but a pioneering one all the same. Two AFCON titles mark a proud footballing past.
Decades of instability and missed chances followed, but a deep pool of diaspora talent — raised across France, Belgium and England — finally delivered a return to the World Cup after 52 years. Drawn with Portugal and Colombia in Group K, the Leopards are dangerous outsiders with real quality.
02 · The Cabinet — Honours
The record
African pioneers and two-time continental champions, back among the world's best after half a century.
05 · The Legend — The Zaire Pioneers
Zaire '74
They were the first — the Zaire side of 1974, the first Black African nation to play at a World Cup, opening a door through which the whole continent would eventually walk.
The tournament was harsh: three defeats and the infamous moment when Mwepu Ilunga charged out of a defensive wall, a image born of pressure and circumstance rather than naivety. But the pioneers' place in history is secure.
Every Leopard in 2026 honours that legacy — carrying African football's pioneering story back onto the stage Zaire first reached over half a century ago.
// The Congolese greats
02
Chancel Mbemba
The modern captain & rock
03
Dieumerci Mbokani
The long-serving striker
04
Yoane Wissa
The Premier League goal threat
ZAIRE '74
The 1974 pioneers
1974
First African side
2
AFCON titles
🐆
The Leopards
06 · Threat Assessment
⚠ HOSTILE · THE GROUP-K GIANTS
The enemy
Group K is tough but not closed — Portugal and Colombia lead, with a likely Uzbekistan decider for second. The enemy is a 52-year history of falling just short of the World Cup itself.
Portugal — the seeded giantHIGH
Uzbekistan — the deciderPIVOTAL
First World Cup in 52 yearsHISTORIC
DR Congo has more genuine quality than most debutant-tier sides — a Premier League-laced squad. In an open Group K, a first knockout berth in the nation's history is a real target.
The story so far
// the long road back
// Group K — the field
Portugal
GROUP K
Ronaldo's Nations League winners — the opener in Houston.
Colombia
GROUP K
Copa finalists — a tough Matchday 2 in Guadalajara.
Uzbekistan
GROUP K
The debutants — the Atlanta finale, likely deciding second place.
04 · The road — The road · WC 2026
Kickoff
14
Days
03
Hours
33
Mins
31
Secs
Until DR Congo's first kick — vs Portugal · June 17
07 · The Premier League Threat
Lightning rod
A breakout Premier League season made him one of Africa's most coveted forwards. DR Congo's hopes of springing a surprise in Group K rest heavily on the goals of Yoane Wissa.
WISSA
Premier League scorerThe talismanPace & finishingNewcastle
🎯
The talisman
29
Age at the World Cup
№11
The goal threat
Quick, clinical and proven at the top level, he gives the Leopards a genuine match-winner. “DR Congo's surprise hopes run through his finishing.”
The Leopards Meter
// happy return, or genuine surprise package?
Glad to be backA dark-horse run
Current reading
The dark horse
With a Premier League-laced squad and a winnable Uzbekistan decider, DR Congo has the quality to reach a first-ever knockout round.
08 · Key Power · World Cup 2026
CHANCEL MBEMBA
The rock · Lille · No. 5
DR Congo's attack carries the threat, but its tournament hinges on the back — and Chancel Mbemba is its leader. A commanding, experienced centre-back and captain who has excelled in Ligue 1, he is the defensive anchor that lets the Leopards' forwards take risks. If DR Congo goes deep, it's built on his composure at the back.
🛡️
The rock
31
Age at the World Cup
©
Captain
The last line of the file
In 1974, Zaire opened the door for Africa.
The Leopards walk through it again.
Les LéopardsZaire '74Group KAfrican pioneersBack after 52 years
Squad
As of 2026-06-01
Manager
S. Desabre
FR