Kinshasa, June 8th, 2026 (CPA).- The time for final adjustments has arrived for the Leopards of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) ahead of their participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scheduled from June 11th to July 19th, 2026, in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Drawn in Group K, the Congolese national team will begin its campaign on June 17th against Portugal’s Seleção. Before their World Cup debut on American soil, the Leopards are expected to play an international friendly against Chile’s La Roja on Tuesday in Orléans, providing an ideal opportunity for the national side’s final preparations.
Learning lessons from the DRC-Denmark match
According to sports observers, beyond the goalless draw (0-0) recorded in the Leopards’ latest friendly against Denmark’s Danish Dynamites, the most important objective is for national coach Sébastien Desabre and his technical staff to draw both positive and negative lessons from the encounter in order to improve the team collectively ahead of its three Group K matches. Analysis of the game revealed shortcomings in the attacking department, particularly in converting scoring opportunities. Against Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan, the DRC’s chances of progressing in the World Cup will largely depend on the Leopards’ ability to find the back of the net.
Achieving that objective would spare them from repeating the unwanted record of the 1974 Congolese squad, which returned home without scoring a single goal after 270 minutes of competition. Only Sébastien Desabre, with the experienced eye of a professional rather than that of the average supporter, will know how to address these weaknesses and implement the necessary solutions to ensure a convincing and reassuring national performance.
Chile: An important South American sparring partner
Denmark, ranked 20th in the FIFA rankings, was selected because its style of play bears similarities to that of Portugal. Likewise, Chile, ranked 55th in the world and not qualified for the 2026 World Cup, represents quality opposition due to its South American football tradition, comparable to that of Colombia, one of the DRC’s Group K opponents.
Chile itself narrowly lost 2-1 to Portugal on Saturday, demonstrating its competitive level. Following these two preparatory matches against Denmark and Chile, Sébastien Desabre is expected to have gathered all the necessary elements to assess his squad and place the right players in the right positions, enabling the Leopards to challenge any opponent they encounter, whether it be Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, Luis Díaz’s Colombia or Uzbekistan, whose football remains largely unfamiliar to Congolese supporters.
The objective is to mark the rebirth and renewal of Congolese football on the world stage.