The Democratic Republic of Congo dreams of the World Cup

Sebastien Desabre, coach of the Democratic Republic of Congo national team, confirmed that his team is competing in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in America, Canada and Mexico, under the slogan “To be or not to be.”

Desabre conducted an interview with the official website of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) today, Sunday, ahead of the start of the qualifying play-off tournament for the 2026 World Cup. The “Panthers” are currently facing a decisive confrontation in the tournament play-off, which will be held in the Mexican city of Guadalajara on March 31, as the African team seeks to return to the most prominent global forum after a long absence of 52 years.

Frenchman Desabre was not yet born when the Democratic Republic of Congo participated for the first and only time in the World Cup in 1974 under the name of Zaire; وهي المشاركة التي انتهت بالخروج من الدور الأول دون تسجيل أي هدف. Now, Desabre has a golden opportunity to write a new chapter and mark the second appearance in the country's history.

To achieve this golden ticket, the coach and his men must overcome a final hurdle and a match in which there is no alternative to victory against the winner of the match between Jamaica or New Caledonia.

Before departing for Mexico to hold a preparatory camp that includes a friendly match against Bermuda on March 25, Desabre stressed that his team is in a state of maximum alert. “We are very excited and are still on track to achieve our main goal that we have set since taking over three and a half years ago. This final will be our 13th match since the start of the qualifiers. It has been a long road and we have worked hard through every stage.”

Desabre pointed out that his team's strength lies mainly in its defensive solidity, as it has only conceded one goal in the last 4 qualifying matches. But he also stressed the recent improvement in offensive numbers.

He added: "We are fortunate to have talented players active in major clubs, and the most important thing is that everyone believes in the project that we are building together. The players share a strong bond on and off the field, and we play as one unit; the attackers defend and the defenders attack. Everyone fights like soldiers waging a battle for their country."

When asked about the preferred opponent between Jamaica and New Caledonia, Desabre answered with confidence: "We are not afraid of anyone, and we will give everything we have. We need to at least repeat the performance we showed against Nigeria (the match that Congo won 4-3 on penalties). We know everything about Jamaica and New Caledonia and we have monitored them well, and we will watch them play in Mexico on March 26, but our focus is currently on our players only."