The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) lie just one win away from securing their place at the World Cup for the first time since 1974, when it was called Zaire. The team, which defeated Nigeria in the African playoff final, have been automatically placed in one of two FIFA Play-Off Tournament finals following its qualification for the tournament, reports africanfootball.com.
DR Congo enjoyed a successful international break, claiming two victories to secure its place in the inter-confederation tournament.
The nation secured its place in the second round of African qualifying after finishing second in Group B behind Senegal. As one of the top four finishing second placed teams in the group stage, the Leopards were placed in the continental play-off alongside Nigeria, Gabon and Cameroon.
The Leopards faced Cameroon in their play-off semifinal in Morocco two Thursdays ago, claiming a 1-0 win at the death, as Chancel Mbemba netted in stoppage-time.
They faced Nigeria in the playoff final three days later, with a trip to the FIFA Play-Off Tournament and potentially the World Cup on the line.
With the two sides locked at 1-1 after extra time, the winner was decided on penalties. DR Congo emerged as the victor, ensuring its qualifying journey will continue.
The FIFA Play-Off Tournament will be held in March 2026 in Mexico, which is hosting the global showpiece alongside Canada and the USA.
The spots in the final race for World Cup places are reserved for two CONCACAF teams, one CONMEBOL team, one OFC team, one CAF team and one AFC team.
The tournament will have two brackets, with one seeded team per stream, based on the FIFA Men’s Rankings. These seeded teams will be automatically placed in the two finals, while the remaining four teams will play in one semi-final per stream with the winners advancing to the finals.
After the finals, two teams will be left standing and have their places at the global showpiece.
DR Congo has been automatically placed in the final for the first bracket and will face one of Jamaica, Bolivia, Suriname or New Caledonia, depending on who is drawn in the Leopard’s bracket. Iraq will play in the final of the second bracket.
The inter-confederation ties will hold in the Mexican cities Monterrey and Guadalajara.
