Sébastien Desabre arrived in 2023 with a reputation built across the African club circuit and a previous stint guiding Uganda to the AFCON knockouts, and his brief with the Léopards has been to translate a generation of European-based talent into something coherent. That work has nudged Congo DR to 46th in the FIFA ranking, the country's highest standing in years, and ended a World Cup absence stretching back to the 1974 edition in West Germany — still their only appearance. A semi-final run at the most recent AFCON suggested the ceiling is real; qualification confirmed it. Reaching the knockouts in 2026 would feel like vindication rather than overreach.
Key players
Yoane Wissa leads the attack from the left, and the underlying numbers suggest a forward due a return: 5.5 xG against three goals from 23 shots in 28 Newcastle appearances, with two assists and 2 big chances created to underline the wider threat. Behind him, Noah Sadiki is the engine, the Sunderland midfielder logging 3,042 minutes across 35 games with 49 tackles, 34 interceptions, 117 ball recoveries and 19 key passes — a genuine box-to-box profile rather than a pure destroyer. Captain Chancel Mbemba anchors the back line, his Lille season yielding 26 tackles, 25 interceptions, 40 aerial duels won and 81 duels won across 21 appearances. There is useful insurance further back too: Joris Kayembe, behind Arthur Masuaku in the pecking order at left back, has racked up 30 key passes, 67 tackles and 188 ball recoveries at Genk, offering a different tonal option if Desabre needs more thrust from that flank.
Predicted XI
Form going into the tournament
Desabre's 4-3-3 leans on defensive solidity and vertical transition rather than sustained possession, a sensible fit for a squad whose best players defend for a living. The back four sits in a mid-block, with Wan-Bissaka and Mbemba anchoring the right side and Masuaku given licence to push higher when Bongonda drifts inside. In midfield, Mukau screens while Sadiki carries, freeing the front three to break in numbers around Wissa. Two questions linger. The first is the second centre-back slot beside Mbemba, where Tuanzebe is penciled in but Batubinsika has a real case. The second is left-back depth: Masuaku's minutes have been thin and Kayembe, the form full-back of the group, is the nominal understudy. Against quicker wide forwards, that high-line-meets-narrow-midfield seam is the obvious vulnerability.
Team form
Group K opens against Portugal, ranked fifth in the world, where realistic ambition is limited to staying compact and avoiding an early points gap. The middle fixture against Colombia, 13th in the FIFA list, is the swing match: a result there shifts the entire calculus. Closing against Uzbekistan, ranked 50th and the only opponent within touching distance on paper, looks like the must-win that decides progression. Knockout brackets depend on group placement and the third-place permutations, but our model projects a Round of 32 tie against fourth-ranked England, and forecasts the run ending there. Reaching the last 32 from a group of this weight would count as a clear success; failing to take points off Uzbekistan would be the disappointment that defines the campaign.
Country-form leaders
Club-form leaders
Group stage
Group fixtures
