Africa will be represented by 10 countries at this year’s FIFA World Cup following the entry of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
This number is doubled compared to the five teams that represented this continent in the tournament held in Qatar, in 2022.
DRC defeated Jamaica 1-0 in the final of the qualifying tournament in Mexico, yesterday, in the early hours of the morning with a goal scored by Axel Tuanzebe in extra time, joining South Africa, Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia.
This team has taken a long journey to reach the World Cup which will be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada, from June to July.
It finished second in its group in the African qualifiers, behind Senegal by two points. However, their accumulation of points made them one of the four that advanced to the next qualifying round.
They won Cameroon 1-0 before beating Nigeria 4-3 on penalties in a game that ended 1-1.
In this last qualifying competition that included countries from other continents, DRC was waiting for the final due to being ranked in the best place in the world.
Jamaica defeated New Caledonia 1-0 in the first round, as they were defeated by the DRC in the same way in the final.
“This match was a tough one because there were places where we played well but there were also places where we lowered the standard. The most important thing is that we won and entered the World Cup. I believe we deserve that because we have gone through a lot to get here,” said DRC coach Sebastien Desabre on the Fifa website.
“This campaign lasted three years and 13 games. We went through the big countries in Africa, including Cameroon and Nigeria. I am proud of my team and the whole continent of Africa because we will represent it. We want to paint a good picture of Congo and Africa.”
The DRC is returning to the World Cup for the first time since its last in 1974, still known as Zaire, in the tournament held in Germany.
One of the players, Cedric Bakambu, believes that everything will stop when they go to celebrate with the fans at home.
“I can’t even imagine what it will be like when we return home, to Kinshasa. I’m in a hurry to see all the Congolese people. I feel like I’m dreaming right now. I’ve never seen our country play in the World Cup,” said Bakambu, who plays for the Spanish team Real Betis.
In the World Cup, DRC will open in Group K where they will face Portugal, Colombia, and Uzbekistan.