Kinshasa, March 22nd, 2026 (CPA) – The Bermuda Football Association has announced a friendly match between its national team and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), scheduled for Wednesday, March 25th, at the historic Jalisco Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico, according to the federation’s official website. “The Bermuda Gombey Warriors will face the DRC Leopards in an international friendly on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. (Mexico City time) and 1:00 a.m. (Kinshasa time), at the historic Jalisco Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico,” the statement read. According to the same source consulted Sunday by CPA, this will be the first-ever encounter between the two nations and an opportunity for the Gombey Warriors (nickname of Bermuda’s national team) to fine-tune preparations ahead of their upcoming competitions. Although both teams will use the match as preparation for upcoming fixtures, their respective standings in the latest FIFA rankings are significantly different.
Bermuda–DRC: two nations, two different levels
For information purposes, while the DRC Leopards (48th) are ranked among the top 50 teams out of FIFA’s 211 member associations, Bermuda’s Gombey Warriors are far behind in 169th place, reflecting the gap in their global standing.
Bermuda’s identity is closely tied to its cultural heritage rooted in the history of slavery. While the DRC’s symbol is the “Leopard,” one of Africa’s iconic carnivores, Bermuda’s emblem is the Gombey. According to CPA research, the Gombey is an emblematic folkloric tradition of Bermuda, originating from the era of slavery and combining dance, drums, and colorful masks. It represents a rich cultural expression blending African, Caribbean, and British influences.
Bermuda: an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean
While the DRC and its people are widely known for their history, culture, music (notably rumba), and vast natural wealth, Bermuda remains less familiar to many, with Hamilton as its capital. It is a British Overseas Territory, consisting of an archipelago of between 138 and 181 islands and islets located in the North Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of North Carolina in the United States. Bermuda’s English-speaking population is estimated at around 64,500 inhabitants.