DR Congo national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
DR Congo

Nickname(s)	Les Léopards English: The Leopards
Association	Fédération Congolaise de Football-Association (FECOFA)
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	UNIFFAC (Central Africa)
Head coach	Sébastien Desabre
Captain	Chancel Mbemba
Most caps	Chancel Mbemba (94)
Top scorer	Dieumerci Mbokani (22)
Home stadium	Stade des Martyrs
FIFA code	COD
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	51 2 (7 February 2019)
Highest	28 (July–August 2017)
Lowest	133 (October 2011)
Elo ranking
Current	NR (3 March 2019)
Highest	20 (March 1974)
Lowest	111 (September 2010)
First international
Belgian Congo 3–2 Northern Rhodesia  (Belgian Congo; Date Unknown 1948)
Biggest win
Congo-Kinshasa 10–1 Zambia  (Kinshasa, Congo DR; 22 November 1969)
Biggest defeat
Yugoslavia 9–0 Zaire  (Gelsenkirchen, West Germany; 18 June 1974)
World Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 1974)
Best result	Group stage (1974)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	21 (first in 1965)
Best result	Champions (1968, 1974)
African Nations Championship
Appearances	5 (first in 2009)
Best result	Champions, (2009, 2016)

The DR Congo national football team is the official football team for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. FIFA knows them as Congo DR. The team is controlled by the Congolese Association Football Federation. Their nickname is Les Léopards, which means The Leopards in English. They are part of FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The DR Congo team has been ranked as high as 28th in the FIFA Rankings. When they were known as Zaire, they were the first team from Sub-Saharan Africa to play in the FIFA World Cup. They have also won the Africa Cup of Nations twice. They are one of the most successful teams in the African Nations Championship, winning two titles, just like Morocco. Currently, they are ranked 61st in the FIFA Rankings.

Over the years, the DR Congo team has played under different names. These include Belgian Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, and Zaïre. When they played in the 1974 FIFA World Cup, they were called Zaïre.

Team History

How it Started

The Congolese Association Football Federation was created in 1919. At that time, the country was not yet independent. The team played its first game in 1948 as Belgian Congo. They played against Northern Rhodesia, which is now Zambia. The team won that first game 3–2 at home.

DR Congo joined FIFA in 1962 and became a member of CAF in 1963. Their first official match was on April 11, 1963. They played against Mauritania in the L'Amitié Tournament in Dakar, Senegal. DR Congo won that match 6–0. The national team first played in the Africa Cup of Nations in 1965.

Golden Years

The Democratic Republic of the Congo had its first big international win in 1968. This was at the 1968 African Cup of Nations in Ethiopia. They beat Ghana 1–0 in the final game. The team's biggest win ever happened on November 22, 1969. They won 10–1 at home against Zambia.

Their second big win came at the 1974 African Cup of Nations in Egypt. The Leopards won 2–1 against Guinea. They also beat rivals Congo 2–1 and Mauritius 4–1. These wins helped Zaire reach the semi-finals. There, they beat host team Egypt 3–2. In the final, Zaire tied with Zambia 2–2. So, they played the match again two days later. Zaire won the replay 2–0. Zaire's player Ndaye Mulamba was the top scorer with nine goals. This is still a record for the tournament. After this victory, the team flew back to Zaire on the Presidential plane.

Zaire was the first team from Sub-Saharan Africa to play in a World Cup. They qualified for the 1974 tournament. They earned their spot by beating Morocco 3–0 in Kinshasa. During the tournament, Zaire did not score any goals. They lost all their games. However, they played well against Scotland and Brazil. Their 9–0 loss against Yugoslavia was one of the biggest World Cup defeats.

A strange moment happened in the game against Brazil. A Zaire defender, Mwepu Ilunga, ran out of the wall during a free-kick. He kicked the ball away before the referee blew the whistle. He got a yellow card for this. Ilunga later said he did this on purpose. He wanted to get a red card to protest against his country's leaders. He felt they were not paying the players fairly.

Tough Times

Zaire playing against Brazil in the 1974 World Cup.

Zaire playing against Scotland in the 1974 World Cup.

After winning the 1974 African Cup of Nations and playing in the 1974 World Cup, the team faced challenges. They were knocked out in the first round of the 1976 African Cup of Nations. They had one draw and two losses in their group. Morocco went on to win that tournament.

From 1978 to 1986, the country did not qualify for the African Cup of Nations. They also did not try to qualify for the 1978 World Cup and 1986 World Cup. In the 1988 African Cup of Nations, Zaire finished last in their group. This happened even though they had two draws.

Back to Success

From 1992 to 1996, Zaire reached the quarter-finals of the African Cup of Nations three times in a row. In 1992 and 1994, Nigeria beat them. In 1996, Ghana won against them.

In 1997, the country changed its name back to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The national team was then called the Simbas. This nickname lasted for nine years. DR Congo played their first game under the new name on June 8, 1997. They lost 1–0 to the Republic of the Congo in Pointe-Noire.

At the 1998 African Cup of Nations, DR Congo surprised many. Led by Louis Watunda, they finished in third place. They beat Cameroon in the quarter-finals. Then, they beat host team Burkina Faso 4–1 in a penalty shootout. This was after a thrilling 4–4 tie where they scored three late goals.

At the 2000 African Cup of Nations, the team finished third in their group. In 2002, Senegal knocked them out in the quarter-finals. Then, in 2004, DR Congo was eliminated after losing all three group games. In 2006, with Claude Le Roy as coach, they finished second in their group. But Egypt beat them 4–1 in the quarter-finals.

Recent Challenges

DR Congo was in group 10 for the 2008 African Cup of Nations qualifiers. They were with Libya, Namibia, and Ethiopia. Before the last match, the Congolese team was leading the group. However, they drew 1–1 with Libya in their final match. Namibia then beat Ethiopia 3–2. This meant Namibia went to the Finals, and the Leopards were out. DR Congo also did not qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

In 2009, DR Congo won the 2009 African Championship of Nations. This competition is only for players who play in their home country's leagues. They won this tournament again in 2016. DR Congo reached the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations finals in South Africa. But they were knocked out in the group stages after drawing all three of their matches.

The Ibengé Era: A Strong Push

DR Congo playing against Guinea in 2023.

In the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, DR Congo again drew all three group matches. This time, they finished second in their group behind Tunisia. They moved on to the quarter-finals to play their rivals, Republic of Congo. In that match, the Leopards came back from being two goals down to win 4–2. However, Ivory Coast beat them 3–1 in the semi-finals. They ended up finishing third. They beat Equatorial Guinea in a penalty shootout after the third-place match ended 0–0.

Under coach Ibengé, DR Congo improved a lot. They had a great performance in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. DR Congo was in a group with Libya, Tunisia, and Guinea. DR Congo played very well, beating Libya and Guinea both at home and away. But they missed their chance to qualify after losing 1–2 to Tunisia in Tunis. They also drew 2–2 at home against the same opponent. Tunisia ended up qualifying for the World Cup.

Home Stadium

The Stade des Martyrs has been the main home stadium for the national team for a long time. They also play some games in Lubumbashi.

Team Coaches

Sébastien Desabre became the coach of the DR Congo national football team in 2022.

Team Players

Current Squad

These players were chosen for friendly matches against Mali and Madagascar in June 2025.

Caps (games played) and goals are correct as of June 8, 2025, after the match against Madagascar.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Lionel Mpasi	(1994-08-01) 1 August 1994 (age 31)	16	0	Rodez
16	1GK	Dimitry Bertaud	(1998-06-06) 6 June 1998 (age 27)	12	0	Montpellier
21	1GK	Timothy Fayulu	(1999-07-24) 24 July 1999 (age 26)	1	0	Sion
2	2DF	Steve Kapuadi	(1998-04-30) 30 April 1998 (age 27)	1	0	Legia Warsaw
5	2DF	Dylan Batubinsika	(1996-02-15) 15 February 1996 (age 29)	12	1	Saint-Étienne
12	2DF	Joris Kayembe	(1994-08-08) 8 August 1994 (age 31)	13	0	Genk
15	2DF	Rocky Bushiri	(1999-11-30) 30 November 1999 (age 25)	4	0	Hibernian
22	2DF	Chancel Mbemba (captain)	(1994-08-08) 8 August 1994 (age 31)	94	6	Marseille
24	2DF	Gédéon Kalulu	(1997-08-29) 29 August 1997 (age 27)	21	0	Lorient
26	2DF	Arthur Masuaku	(1993-11-07) 7 November 1993 (age 31)	34	3	Beşiktaş
7	3MF	Nathanaël Mbuku	(2002-03-16) 16 March 2002 (age 23)	5	0	Montpellier
8	3MF	Samuel Moutoussamy	(1996-08-12) 12 August 1996 (age 29)	46	0	Sivasspor
13	3MF	Meschak Elia	(1997-08-06) 6 August 1997 (age 28)	56	11	Young Boys
14	3MF	Noah Sadiki	(2004-12-17) 17 December 2004 (age 20)	9	0	Union SG
18	3MF	Charles Pickel	(1997-05-15) 15 May 1997 (age 28)	23	1	Cremonese
25	3MF	Edo Kayembe	(1998-08-03) 3 August 1998 (age 27)	30	2	Watford
9	4FW	Samuel Essende	(1998-01-30) 30 January 1998 (age 27)	8	1	FC Augsburg
19	4FW	Fiston Mayele	(1994-06-24) 24 June 1994 (age 31)	22	5	Pyramids
20	4FW	Yoane Wissa	(1996-09-03) 3 September 1996 (age 28)	32	6	Brentford
23	4FW	Simon Banza	(1996-08-13) 13 August 1996 (age 29)	12	2	Trabzonspor

Recent Call-ups

These players have also been called up for DR Congo in the last year. They can still play for the team.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Brudel Efonge	(1999-05-29) 29 May 1999 (age 26)	0	0	Maniema	v.  Tanzania, 15 October 2024
DF	Axel Tuanzebe	(1997-11-14) 14 November 1997 (age 27)	3	0	Ipswich Town	v.  Mali, 5 June 2025
DF	Aaron Wan-Bissaka	(1997-11-26) 26 November 1997 (age 27)	0	0	West Ham United	v.  Mali, 5 June 2025 PRE
DF	Henoc Inonga Baka	(1993-11-01) 1 November 1993 (age 31)	22	0	AS FAR	v.  Mauritania, 25 March 2025
DF	Brian Bayeye	(2000-06-30) 30 June 2000 (age 25)	3	0	Radnički Niš	v.  Mauritania, 25 March 2025
DF	Jeremy Ngakia	(2000-09-07) 7 September 2000 (age 24)	0	0	Watford	v.  Mauritania, 25 March 2025
DF	Peter Kioso	(1999-08-15) 15 August 1999 (age 26)	1	0	Oxford United	v.  Ethiopia, 19 November 2024
MF	Théo Bongonda	(1995-11-20) 20 November 1995 (age 29)	27	5	Spartak Moscow	v.  Mali, 5 June 2025
MF	Ngal'ayel Mukau	(2004-11-03) 3 November 2004 (age 20)	2	0	Lille	v.  Mali, 5 June 2025 PRE
MF	Willy Kambwala	(2004-08-25) 25 August 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Villarreal	v.  Mali, 5 June 2025 PRE
MF	Silas Katompa Mvumpa	(1998-10-06) 6 October 1998 (age 26)	18	1	Red Star Belgrade	v.  Mauritania, 25 March 2025
MF	Grady Diangana	(1998-04-19) 19 April 1998 (age 27)	7	0	West Bromwich Albion	v.  Mauritania, 25 March 2025
MF	William Balikwisha	(1999-05-12) 12 May 1999 (age 26)	6	0	OH Leuven	v.  Ethiopia, 19 November 2024
MF	Oscar Kabwit	(2005-05-05) 5 May 2005 (age 20)	1	0	Mazembe	v.  Ethiopia, 19 November 2024
MF	Gaël Kakuta	(1991-06-21) 21 June 1991 (age 34)	27	3	Sakaryaspor	v.  Guinea, 16 November 2024 PRE
MF	Chadrac Akolo	(1995-04-01) 1 April 1995 (age 30)	26	2	St. Gallen	v.  Tanzania, 10 October 2024 PRE
FW	Cédric Bakambu	(1991-04-11) 11 April 1991 (age 34)	57	16	Real Betis	v.  Mali, 5 June 2025
FW	Afimico Pululu	(1999-03-23) 23 March 1999 (age 26)	0	0	Jagiellonia Białystok	v.  Mali, 5 June 2025
INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury. PRE Preliminary squad. RET Player has retired from international football. SUS Suspended from the national team.

Team Records

Players in bold are still playing for DR Congo.

Most Games Played

Chancel Mbemba has played the most games for DR Congo with 94 appearances.

Top Goal Scorers

Dieumerci Mbokani is DR Congo's top scorer with 22 goals.

Team Achievements

Continental Titles

• CAF African Cup of Nations
  • Champions (2): 1968, 1974
  • Third place (2): 1998, 2015
• CAF African Nations Championship
  • Champions (2): 2009, 2016

Regional Titles

• Central African Games
  • Gold medal (1): 1981

Awards

• Africa Cup of Nations Fair Play Award: 2015

Summary of Wins

Senior Competitions				Total
CAF African Cup of Nations	2	0	2	4
CAF African Nations Championship	2	0	0	2
Total	4	0	2	6

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de la República Democrática del Congo para niños