The Democratic Republic of Congo has qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1974 after defeating Jamaica 1-0 in an inter-confederation playoff on Tuesday.

Axel Tuanzebe scored the decisive goal in extra time, bundling the ball over the line from a corner kick in the 100th minute.

The goal underwent a brief Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review for a possible handball before being awarded.

Former Uganda Cranes’ coach Sébastien Desabre deserves significant credit for the achievement.

Since taking over the Leopards in August 2022, he has transformed the team, guiding them to the semifinals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (where they were eliminated by eventual champions Ivory Coast) and now securing World Cup qualification.

DR Congo becomes the 10th African nation to qualify for the expanded 48-team tournament, scheduled for June/July 2026 across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

They join Morocco, Senegal, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa, Ghana, and Cape Verde.

The Leopards finished second in Group B behind Senegal during the African qualifiers and advanced as one of the four best runners-up.

They then defeated Cameroon in the semifinals before beating Nigeria on penalties in the final to reach the inter-confederation playoff.

In the 2026 World Cup, DR Congo have been drawn in Group K alongside Colombia, Portugal, and Uzbekistan.