The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) has automatically qualified for one of the two finals in the FIFA Play-Off Tournament, according their FIFA rankings.
DR Congo has been placed in the final of the first bracket and New Caledonia will face Jamaica in the Pathway 1 semi-final. The Pathway 2 semi-final features Bolivia against Suriname. The winners will compete against the Congo DR and Iraq, respectively.
During the recent international break, DR Congo achieved two victories that secured its spot in this inter-confederation tournament. The nation finished second in Group B of the African qualifying round, behind Senegal.
As one of the top four second-placed teams in the group stage, the Leopards entered the continental play-off alongside Nigeria, Gabon, and Cameroon.
In the semi-final of this play-off, held in Morocco on Thursday, the Leopards faced Cameroon and won 1-0 with a last-minute goal from Chancel Mbemba, who scored in stoppage time.
DR Congo is now set to compete against Nigeria in the play-off final, with a chance to enter the FIFA Play-Off Tournament and potentially the World Cup at stake.
After a tense match that ended in a 1-1 draw following extra time, the winner was determined by penalties. DR Congo emerged victorious, allowing their qualification journey to continue.
The FIFA Play-Off Tournament is scheduled for March 2026 in Mexico, which is co-hosting the World Cup along with Canada and the USA. The tournament will allocate two spots for CONCACAF teams, one for a CONMEBOL team, one for an OFC team, one for a CAF team, and one for an AFC team.
This tournament will feature two brackets, with one seeded team in each bracket based on the FIFA Men’s Rankings.
These seeded teams will automatically advance to the finals, while the remaining four teams will compete in one semi-final per bracket, with the winners moving on to the finals. Ultimately, two teams will qualify for the World Cup from this tournament.
DRC’s 2026 World Cup Continental playoffs opponents confirmed
— Alie Bittar (@bittar32) November 21, 2025
DR Congo’shas automatically qualified for one of the two finals in the FIFA Play-Off Tournament, according to their FIFA rankings.
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