Team Overview
The DR Congo national football team ( French : Équipe nationale de football de la République démocratique du Congo ), recognised by FIFA as Congo DR and by CAF as DR Congo , represents the Democratic Republic of the Congo in men's international football and it is controlled by the Congolese Association Football Federation . They are nicknamed Les Léopards , meaning The Leopards . The team is a member of FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF). DR Congo have been ranked as high as 28th in the FIFA Rankings ; as Zaire, they were the first Sub-Saharan African team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup , and twice won the Africa Cup of Nations . They are also one of the most successful teams in the African Nations Championship with two titles, second only to Morocco with three. They are currently ranked 46th in the FIFA Rankings .
2026 Fixtures
| Date | Match | Group / Round | Venue | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-17 12:00 UTC-5 | Portugal vs Congo DR | Group K | Houston | SCHEDULED |
| 2026-06-23 20:00 UTC-6 | Colombia vs Congo DR | Group K | Guadalajara (Zapopan) | SCHEDULED |
| 2026-06-27 19:30 UTC-4 | Congo DR vs Uzbekistan | Group K | Atlanta | SCHEDULED |
Honours
| Continental: CAF African Cup of Nations Champions (2) : 1968 , 1974 Third place (2): 1998 , 2015 |
| Continental: CAF African Nations Championship Champions (2) : 2009 , 2016 |
| Regional: Central African Games Gold medal (1) : 1981 |
| Awards: Africa Cup of Nations Fair Play Award (1) : 2015 |
Competition Records
FIFA World Cup
| FIFA World Cup record | Qualification record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D * | L | GF | GA |
| as Congo and Congo-Léopoldville | as Congo and Congo-Léopoldville | |||||||
| 1930 to 1962 | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | ||||||
| as Congo-Kinshasa | as Congo-Kinshasa | |||||||
| 1966 | Did not enter | Did not enter | ||||||
| as Zaire | as Zaire | |||||||
| 1970 | Entry not accepted by FIFA | Entry not accepted by FIFA | ||||||
| 1974 | Group stage | 16th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 |
| 1978 | Withdrew | Withdrew | ||||||
| 1982 | Did not qualify | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 12 | |
| 1986 | Banned | Banned | ||||||
| 1990 | Did not qualify | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 7 |
Africa Cup of Nations
| Africa Cup of Nations record | Qualification record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 1957 | Part of Belgium | Part of Belgium | ||||||
| 1959 | ||||||||
| 1962 | Not affiliated to CAF | Not affiliated to CAF | ||||||
| 1963 | ||||||||
| Played as Congo-Léopoldville | Played as Congo-Léopoldville | |||||||
| 1965 | Group stage | 5th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| Played as Congo-Kinshasa | Played as Congo-Kinshasa | |||||||
| 1968 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 5 |
| 1970 | Group stage | 7th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Played as Zaire | Played as Zaire | |||||||
| 1972 | Fourth place | 4th | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 11 |
African Nations Championship
| African Nations Championship record | Qualification record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 2009 | Final | Winners | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 5 |
| 2011 | Quarter-finals | 8th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 2014 | Quarter-finals | 7th | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 2016 | Final | Winners | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 7 |
| 2018 | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2020 | Quarter-finals | 5th | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
| 2022 | Group stage | 11th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 2024 | Group stage | 11th | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| Total | 2 titles | 7/8 | 27 | 14 | 4 | 9 | 37 | 28 |
African Games
| African Games record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 1965 | 5th | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 8 |
| 1973–1987 | Did not enter | ||||||
| 1991–2015 | See DR Congo national under-23 football team | ||||||
| 2015–present | See DR Congo national under-20 football team | ||||||
| Total | 1/4 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 8 |
Current Squad
| Pos | Name | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||
| GK | Dimitry Bertaud | 14 | 0 | Forge |
| Defenders | ||||
| DF | Brian Bayeye | 4 | 0 | Villefranche |
| DF | Jeremy Ngakia | 0 | 0 | Watford |
| DF | Rocky Bushiri | 7 | 1 | Hibernian |
| DF | Willy Kambwala | 0 | 0 | Villarreal |
| Midfielders | ||||
| MF | Grady Diangana | 8 | 0 | Elche |
| MF | Mario Stroeykens | 0 | 0 | Anderlecht |
| MF | Warren Bondo | 0 | 0 | Cremonese |
| Forwards | ||||
| FW | Afimico Pululu | 0 | 0 | Jagiellonia Białystok |
| FW | Jackson Muleka | 18 | 3 | Konyaspor |
| FW | Michel-Ange Balikwisha | 5 | 0 | Celtic |
| FW | Samuel Essende | 11 | 1 | Young Boys |
All-Time Leaders
| Most Caps | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Stat | Years |
| Chancel Mbemba | 108 Caps | 2012–present |
| Issama Mpeko | 81 Caps | 2011–2023 |
| Cédric Bakambu | 69 Caps | 2015–present |
| Meschak Elia | 68 Caps | 2016–present |
| Robert Kidiaba | 64 Caps | 2002–2015 |
| Samuel Moutoussamy | 57 Caps | 2019–present |
| Zola Matumona | 53 Caps | 2002–2014 |
| 53 | 14 Caps | 2004–2021 |
| Top Scorers | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Stat | Years |
| Chancel Mbemba | 108 Goals | 2012–present |
| Issama Mpeko | 81 Goals | 2011–2023 |
| Cédric Bakambu | 69 Goals | 2015–present |
| Meschak Elia | 68 Goals | 2016–present |
| Robert Kidiaba | 64 Goals | 2002–2015 |
| Samuel Moutoussamy | 57 Goals | 2019–present |
| Zola Matumona | 53 Goals | 2002–2014 |
| 53 | 14 Goals | 2004–2021 |