World Cup: DR Congo and Portugal face off in a historic clash
At the end of May, Desabre’s squad had to relocate their planned training camp from Kinshasa to Belgium before playing their final two warm-up matches against Denmark and Chile in Europe.
The team formerly known as Zaire qualified for the tournament through the playoffs when they beat Jamaica 1-0 after extra time on 31 March.
Yoane Wissa was instrumental in the Leopards reaching the finals, but a knee injury ruled him out of the last four months of 2025. Wissa, who scored three goals and provided three assists in qualifying, will be looking to prove his fitness at the World Cup.
In a pre-match press conference, Sebastien Desabre has hinted that his side has to be very focused since the stage of the competition is very demanding.
“We adapted to the situation. We had to focus, as we have had to adapt often. That is what we did. We worked well; we played two tough friendlies, and here we are. Now it is another step for us,” Sebastien started.
Portugal’s Seleção das Quinas lost just one of their six qualifiers, a 2-0 defeat to the Republic of Ireland, to finish top of their group, and they remain unbeaten in 2026.
Portugal has competed in the last six editions, with their best performance coming in 2006, when it advanced to the semifinals before finishing fourth. Roberto Martinez’s side drew 0-0 with Mexico on March 28 before winning 2-0 against the United States three days later, and they finished their preparations with 2-1 victories over Chile and Nigeria.
Roberto Martinez’s side drew 0-0 with Mexico on March 28 before beating the USA 2-0 three days later, and finished their preparations with back-to-back 2-1 wins over Chile and Nigeria.
