Online Reporter
DR Congo coach Sebastien Desabre is hoping they put on a good showing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where their campaign gets underway against Portugal at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas tonight.
Kick-off is at 7pm.
The Leopards are making their first appearance at the global show-piece since 1974, but their preparations were heavily disrupted due to an Ebola outbreak back home, which saw them complete a mandatory 21-day quarantine before entering the US.
Desabre’s squad had to move their planned training camp from Kinshasa to Belgium at the end of May before playing their final two warm-up matches against Denmark and Chile in Europe.
DR Congo drew 0-0 with the Danes on June 3 and were beaten 2-1 by La Roja six days later, and Desabre was pleased with how his players adapted to a difficult situation.
The team formerly known as Zaire had qualified for the tournament via the play-offs when they ran out 1-0 victors over Jamaica after extra time on March 31.
Selecao das Quinas lost just one of their six qualifiers — a 2-0 defeat to the Republic of Ireland— to finish top of their group and they are unbeaten in 2026.
Roberto Martinez’s side drew 0-0 with Mexico on March 28 before recording a 2-0 win against USA three days later, while they wrapped up their preparations with back-to-back 2-1 victories over Chile and Nigeria.
Portugal have featured at the last six editions with their best performance coming in 2006 when they reached the semi-finals before going on to finish fourth.
Speaking ahead of tonight’s match DR Congo head coach Desabre said: “We adapted to the situation. We had to focus as we have had to adapt often.
That is what we did.
We worked well, we played two tough friendlies and here we are. Now it is another step for us.
Players to watch:
Portugal — Bruno Fernandes enjoyed a stellar season with Manchester United, setting a new record for the most assists (21) while also contributing nine goals as they finished third to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
DR Congo — Yoane Wissa played a crucial role for the Leopards in qualifying before a knee injury sidelined him for the final four months of 2025.
Head-to-Head: N/A. — AFP Sport
