FIFA WC 2026 Qualifiers - DR Congo: A list not without controversies

We know the names of the Congolese players who will compete in one of the finals of the intercontinental play-offs for the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in Mexico at the end of this month in March. The list of these 26 leopards selected by Sébastien Desabre was published a few days ago by the Congolese football federation.

The French technician, faithful to his principles, has well kept his frame from the last AFCON. Indeed, out of the 26 selected for these intercontinental dams, 23 were present in Morocco. Only Gaël Kakuta, Gédéon Kalulu and Samuel Essende are absent. To note on the other hand the great return of Yoane Wissa, who has forfeited for AFCON 2025 following an injury. Grady Diangana and Jérémie Ngakia also reappear.

Concern about the state and shape of certain players
‎Once published, this list began to be controversial. If several analysts are not surprised by the names found, knowing the instructions for use of the coach, the concern lies, however, in the state of fitness of some players.

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‎ Between lack of playing time and offensive inefficiency, the press is questioning the team’s ability to seek qualification. « I am not at all surprised by this list. Sébastien Desabre took the players who know his gaming philosophy for having evolved together for a long time. He took his soldiers. But what worries me is the state of shape of some players. We risk encountering the same problem that caused the defeat of the DRC against Senegal in Kinshasa.  It was a group that knew each other well but the lack of playing time for some players had caused this defeat which forced us to play in the play-offs instead of qualifying directly," stated sports journalist Mons Monshenju on the airwaves of Top Congo fm.

The colleague details: « In defense apart from Bissaka and Tuanzebe, the others do not play enough. In the offensive sector, Bongonda barely had any playing time after the AFCON, Mayele is out of goals, Banza is not performing either; Wissa who had recovered well in December is playing matches on the club bench, it’s a bit worrying. When assembling his eleven, the coach will have to base himself on form and not the names of the players.

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‎ Between lack of playing time and offensive inefficiency, the press is questioning the team’s ability to seek qualification. « I am not at all surprised by this list. Sébastien Desabre took the players who know his gaming philosophy for having evolved together for a long time. He took his soldiers. But what worries me is the state of shape of some players. We risk encountering the same problem that caused the defeat of the DRC against Senegal in Kinshasa.  It was a group that knew each other well but the lack of playing time for some players had caused this defeat which forced us to play in the play-offs instead of qualifying directly," stated sports journalist Mons Monshenju on the airwaves of Top Congo fm.

The colleague details: « In defense apart from Bissaka and Tuanzebe, the others do not play enough. In the offensive sector, Bongonda barely had any playing time after the CAN, Mayele is out of goals, Banza is not performing either; Wissa who had recovered well in December is playing matches on the club bench, it’s a bit worrying. When assembling his eleven, the coach will have to base himself on form and not the names of the players 

Desabre called to justify his choices through a press conference
‎‎In addition to the presence of some players whose fitness raises questions, observers also question the absence in this list of other players like Afimico Pululu who had recently obtained his Congolese passport. But all these questions cannot have answers without a press conference from the coach, Sébastien Desabre, who is now publishing his lists through the federation’s social media pages.

 
Desabre called to justify his choices through a press conference
‎‎In addition to the presence of some players whose fitness raises questions, observers also question the absence in this list of other players like Afimico Pululu who had recently obtained his Congolese passport. But all these questions cannot have answers without a press conference from the coach, Sébastien Desabre, who is now publishing his lists through the federation’s social media pages. 

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‎For sports analyst Eddy Kanku Kadima, the Federation must force Desabre to explain his choices through a press conference. 

'' It’s the coach who makes his choices, we don’t disagree with them but he must justify them to allow the public to understand. But for some time, the selector has been content with having his lists published on social networks, something that is not normal. Now, we journalists and the public are asking ourselves questions about this published list but we have no answers because the coach no longer holds a press conference. The FECOFA must force him to come and explain himself through a press conference, that’s what is done everywhere. Why isn’t Afimico there while Simon Banza and Fiston Mayele who are out of realism are there? no answer,"

 he declared. 
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‎For its only match in these intercontinental play-offs, the DRC will face on March 31 in Guadalajara, the winner of the match between Jamaica and New Caledonia. A success and the Leopards would return to a final phase of the World Cup, after the last one in 1974.