Les Léopards (The Leopards)

Follow DR Congo at AFCON 2027

Two-time African champions. DR Congo open qualifying against Equatorial Guinea on 24 septembre 2026.

Qualification in progress · Group E2× African champions19 juin – 17 juillet 2027

DR Congo at a glance

AFCON titles
2
Appearances
21
First AFCON
1965
Last title
1974
Latest AFCON
Round of 16
Morocco 2025
AFCON 2027
Group E
Qualifying
FIFA ranking
#41
July 2026

Road to AFCON 2027

The road to East Africa starts in Group E

Group E

DR Congo

Current status: Qualifying

  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Sierra Leone
  • Zimbabwe

The top two in the group qualify for the finals. Six matches: home and away against each opponent.

Opening matches

  1. jeu 24 sept16:00 GMT
    DR CongovEquatorial Guinea
    MD1
  2. lun 28 sept16:00 GMT
    ZimbabwevDR Congo
    MD2

No qualifier has been played yet — the table appears here after the first matchday.

Checked 21 septembre 2026 against CAF’s draw and fixture list.CAF fixtures

The number that defines DR Congo

9

Ndaye Mulamba’s goals at AFCON 1974

Still the record for a single tournament, set as Zaire won their second title in Egypt.

Iconic moment · 1968

The first star

Final · Ethiopia 1968, Addis Ababa

Congo-Kinshasa had lost 2–1 to Ghana in the group stage. In the final they beat them 1–0 with Pierre Kalala’s goal in the 66th minute, and Kazadi Mwamba was named the tournament’s best player.

2025

DR Congo v Benin — AFCON 2025 highlights

Théo Bongonda’s winner in Rabat starts an unbeaten Group D campaign.Source: CAF TV

Théo Bongonda’s winner in Rabat starts an unbeaten Group D campaign.

Official highlights from CAF TV, embedded from YouTube. Travel Ease hosts no footage and is not a CAF partner; the video loads only when you press play.

Ready for the next chapter?

Follow DR Congo to East Africa

Tell us where you are coming from and when you want to travel. We plan the trip around DR Congo’s matches as soon as CAF confirms where they play.

See DR Congo travel packages

Supporting DR Congo

Travellers
2

No payment. Next, we ask how to reach you with your quote.

The team now

The Les Léopards to watch

Head coach
Sébastien Desabre
Last verified
21 septembre 2026
  • Yoane Wissa

    Forward · Newcastle United

    Scored DR Congo’s first World Cup goal, against Portugal in June 2026, then two more in the 3–1 win over Uzbekistan that took the Leopards into the knockout rounds.

  • Axel Tuanzebe

    Defender · AJ Auxerre

    His extra-time goal against Jamaica in the March 2026 intercontinental play-off sent DR Congo to their first World Cup since 1974.

  • Meschack Elia

    Midfielder · Alanyaspor

    Scored DR Congo’s goal in the 2023 round-of-16 tie with Egypt that ended in the 8–7 shoot-out win, and was top scorer in AFCON 2025 qualifying with two goals.

From the squad named on 11 septembre 2026 for Equatorial Guinea (24 Sep, Kinshasa) and Zimbabwe (28 Sep, Harare) in qualifying, then two friendlies with Uganda (2 and 5 Oct). Clubs as at that announcement.

AFCON 2027 packages

Travel with DR Congo

Follow the Les Léopards to East Africa. Each trip works from any host country, so it holds whichever group DR Congo land in.

All packages
Fan

5 nightsAny host country

One Match Experience

A short trip built around a single fixture

Match ticket not included · assistance on request

  • International flights
  • Accommodation
  • Breakfast daily
  • Airport transfers

Request a quote

Costed for your departure city

Supporter

8 nightsAny host country

Two Match Supporter Trip

Two fixtures, one trip

Match ticket not included · assistance on request

  • International flights
  • Accommodation
  • Breakfast daily
  • Airport transfers

Request a quote

Costed for your departure city

Supporter

14 nightsAny host country

Follow Your Team

Travel with your side through the rounds

Match ticket not included · assistance on request

  • International flights
  • Regional flights
  • Accommodation
  • Breakfast daily

Request a quote

Costed for your departure city

Flights, hotels and match-day transport are quoted for your departure city — airlines and hotels have not released AFCON-period rates, so we price your exact trip rather than publish a guess.

Travelling from

Where are you travelling from?

Routing, journey time and entry requirements depend on your departure country.

Host countries

Where AFCON 2027 takes you

Explore the three host nations while we wait for DR Congo’s official finals journey to be determined.

All destinations

Safari country and East Africa’s busiest gateway

Kenya

Kenya combines the region’s most connected international airport with the Maasai Mara and the Kenyan coast, making it the natural base for supporters who want football and safari in one trip.

Plan my trip

Zanzibar, Serengeti and the Indian Ocean

Tanzania

Tanzania offers the strongest holiday extension of the three hosts — Zanzibar’s beaches and the northern safari circuit are both within easy reach of the mainland gateways.

Plan my trip

The source of the Nile and gorilla country

Uganda

Uganda is the most compact of the three hosts, with Entebbe close to Kampala and adventure travel — rafting at Jinja, gorilla trekking in the southwest — within reach of a tournament trip.

Plan my trip

Match tickets

Tickets are issued only through CAF’s authorised official ticketing. Travel Ease is not a ticket seller — we help you follow official DR Congo ticket updates and build your journey around confirmed matches.

Get ticket assistance

Extend the trip

More than the match

All experiences
CITY

1 dayNairobi

Nairobi in a Day

The national park on the city edge, the elephant orphanage and Karen — a full day without leaving Nairobi.

Add to my trip

The story behind the shirt

DR Congo at the Africa Cup of Nations

The full story, the title years, the moments, the legends and every tournament — researched from CAF and dated where it can change.

DR Congo’s AFCON legacy

Two titles, two names, and a scoring record that has stood since 1974

Both of DR Congo’s Africa Cup of Nations titles were won under names the country no longer uses. As Congo-Kinshasa they beat Ghana 1–0 in the 1968 final in Addis Ababa, Pierre Kalala scoring in the 66th minute and Kazadi Mwamba named player of the tournament. Six years later, as Zaire, they needed two finals in Cairo to beat Zambia: 2–2 after extra time, then 2–0 in a replay 48 hours later, both goals from Ndaye Mulamba.

African champions

2 titles

  • 1968Champions as Congo-Kinshasa

    Champions as Congo-Kinshasa

    Ghana beaten 1–0 in Addis Ababa.

  • 1974Champions as Zaire

    Champions as Zaire

    A replayed final and Ndaye’s nine goals.

Tap a year for the story of that title.

DR Congo through the years

  1. 1965

    First finals

    Out in the first round in Tunisia.

  2. 1968

    Champions as Congo-Kinshasa

    Ghana beaten 1–0 in Addis Ababa.

  3. 1974

    Champions as Zaire

    A replayed final and Ndaye’s nine goals.

  4. 1998

    Third place

    4–4 with hosts Burkina Faso, then won on penalties.

  5. 2015

    Third place

    A second bronze, again from a shoot-out.

  6. 2023

    Fourth place

    Egypt beaten 8–7 on penalties on the way.

  7. 2025

    Round of 16

    Unbeaten group, out to Algeria after extra time.

Iconic moments

Moments DR Congo fans never forget

  • 1974

    Final and replay · Egypt 1974, Cairo

    Two finals, one champion

    Zaire and Zambia drew 2–2 after extra time in the only AFCON final ever to go to a replay. Forty-eight hours later Ndaye Mulamba scored both goals in a 2–0 win, taking his tournament total to nine.

  • 2024

    Round of 16 · Côte d’Ivoire 2023, San Pedro

    The 8–7 shoot-out

    Meschack Elia’s header put DR Congo ahead against Egypt and the tie finished 1–1 after extra time. The shoot-out ran to 8–7, with goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi converting the decisive kick; the Leopards then beat Guinea 3–1 to reach the semi-finals.

AFCON legends

The DR Congo players who defined eras

  • Ndaye Mulamba

    1970s

    The scorer who won the 1974 title and still owns the tournament’s single-edition record.

    Nine goals at Egypt 1974, both goals of the final replay among them, and ten at the finals in all — more than any other DR Congo player.

  • Kazadi Mwamba

    1960s

    The standout player of DR Congo’s first title.

    Named player of the tournament at AFCON 1968.

  • Pierre Kalala

    1960s

    Scorer of the goal that won the 1968 final.

    Beat Ghana with the only goal of the final in Addis Ababa, in the 66th minute.

Records that belong to DR Congo

  • 9

    Most goals at a single AFCON

    Ndaye Mulamba, Egypt 1974

  • 1974

    The only AFCON final replayed

    Zaire 2–2 Zambia after extra time, then 2–0 two days later

  • 10

    DR Congo’s top scorer at the finals

    Ndaye Mulamba

AFCON finals tournaments only — qualifiers are not included.

Statistics

DR Congo’s AFCON record

Finals tournaments through Côte d’Ivoire 2023. Qualifiers not included.

2
Titles
21
Appearances
80
Played
21
Won
94
Goals

Recent tournaments

  • 2025Round of 16P4 • W2 • D1 • L1 · 5–2
  • 2023Fourth placeP7 • W1 • D5 • L1 · 6–5
  • 2019Round of 16P4 • W1 • D1 • L2 · 6–6
  • 2017Quarter-finalsP4 • W2 • D1 • L1 · 7–5
  • 2015Third placeP6 • W1 • D4 • L1 · 7–7

Did you know?

  1. DR Congo have reached the knockout stage at five successive finals — 2015, 2017, 2019, 2023 and 2025 — their longest such run.

  2. Both of DR Congo’s third places were won in shoot-outs: the 1998 play-off with hosts Burkina Faso finished 4–4 before the Leopards won on penalties.

  3. At Côte d’Ivoire 2023, five of DR Congo’s seven matches ended in draws.

  4. The year of the second AFCON title, 1974, was also the year of DR Congo’s first World Cup. Their second came 52 years later, in 2026.

DR Congo and AFCON: quick answers

  • Two — in 1968, as Congo-Kinshasa, and in 1974, as Zaire. They have also finished third twice, in 1998 and 2015.

The next AFCON memory hasn’t happened yet. Be there with DR Congo.

Sources · checked 21 septembre 2026

Historical figures cover AFCON finals tournaments only. Qualification, squads and rankings change — each is dated where it appears.

Travel Ease

AFCON 2027

Travel to the Africa Cup of Nations in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda — arranged from anywhere in Africa and the diaspora.

Travel Ease is an independent travel company, not affiliated with CAF. Match tickets are sold only through CAF’s official channel.

An AFCON 2027 travel platform by Travel Ease Company

Back to Travel Ease main site

© 2026 Travel Ease Company. All rights reserved.