DRC coach: “Can’t question everything” after World Cup loss

The Leopards of DR Congo (DRC) suffered a blow to their 2026 World Cup qualification hopes on Tuesday in Kinshasa with a home defeat to Senegal leaving the Lions of Teranga in the driver’s seat in Group B.

It looked like the Leopards were on the verge of taking a giant step towards direct qualification for the World Cup when the hosts took a two-goal lead in the first half following goals from attacking stars Cedric Bakambu and Yoane Wissa.

However, to the horror of home supporters at the Stade des Martyrs, a Senegalese revival saw them score three unanswered goals with Pape Matar Sarr’s 87th minute confirming a dramatic comeback for Pape Thiaw’s side.

All is not lost for the Congolese selection. They can still win Group B with victories in their final two fixtures in October if the Senegalese slip up and the Leopards look likely to secure a place in the regional qualification playoff as one of the top group runners-up. Head coach Sebastien Desabre, who led the Leopards to fourth place at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, stressed calm and affirmed his commitment to the mission after the devastating defeat:

“I’m on a mission for Congolese football. That’s what I’ve been doing for three years now; I’m 100% committed. My contract doesn’t include a set of objectives. Today, we can’t question everything just because we lost a match.”

As I said, I have nothing to reproach my players for. When there is a defeat, we look to the coach. The first person responsible is me, the coach, so it’s up to me to analyze what went wrong…as long as there’s hope, we have to believe.”

Group B Table (8 of 10 matches played)

1. Senegal- 18 points
2. DR Congo- 16 points
3. Sudan- 12 points
4. Togo- 7 points
5. Mauritania- 6 points
6. South Sudan- 4 points

What’s next for the DRC in World Cup qualifying?

The reality is that the final two fixtures look more promising for Senegal as opposed to the DRC. Senegal travel to face bottom side South Sudan in their first match from the October FIFA window before closing up at home against Mauritania, two very winnable fixtures for the group leaders. DR Congo travel to face Togo and will conclude their group stage campaign at home against third placed Sudan.

The four top group runners-up qualify for an African regional playoff where the winner will advance to the FIFA intercontinental playoff, which features one team from each confederation and two from North America’s CONCACAF confederation. This now looks like the Congolese team’s likely route for qualification after Tuesday’s devastating result.

Current ranking of group runners-up

1. Gabon- 19 points
2. Madagascar- 16 points
3. DR Congo- 16 points
4. Burkina Faso- 15 points
5. Cameroon- 15 points
6. Namibia- 15 points
7. Uganda- 15 points
8. Benin- 14 points
9. Tanzania- 10 points*

• The top four group runners-up qualify for the regional qualification playoff. Uncertainty remains over how Tanzania’s status will be calculated after Eritrea’s withdrawal reduced Group E to five teams. Neither CAF nor FIFA have provided an update at the time of publication.⚽ Follow Pan-Africa Football across platforms for real-time news and stories.