Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi has urged his country’s national team with a passionate message ahead of their inevitable World Cup match against Uzbekistan in Atlanta.
«This meeting is not just a football match. It is a moment of national unity, a moment when an entire people will look in the same direction, with the same passion, the same hope and the same love for the flag,» Tshisekedi said at the presidency’s invitation. X bill on Saturday.
DR Congo has one point from two matches in Group K, after a 1-1 draw against Portugal and a narrow defeat against Colombia, and must beat Uzbekistan to stay in the tournament. Uzbekistan has lost both matches but could still go further with a win.
“This Saturday, June 27, 2026, in Atlanta, you will not be alone. Behind you will be more than 100 million Congolese – our families, our young people, our elderly, our provinces, our diaspora, our supporters, our soldiers, our workers, our children – all united behind you,” Tshisekedi wrote.
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“I therefore call on the entire Congolese people to mobilize in unity, passion and responsibility to bring our leopards to the victory we all hope for.”
Progress to the knockout rounds for DR Congo might have seemed barely credible months ago when the country entered the play-offs for the top four runners-up in the African preliminary rounds after failing to qualify directly.
It is DR Congo’s first World Cup appearance since 1974, when the country was known as Zaire.
Published on June 27, 2026
