Lionel Mpasi: DR Congo not ready yet ahead of FIFA Play-Off Tournament

Ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup Play-Off Tournament Play-Off Tournament, DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi admits they have a lot of work to do to be ready to face their next opponents.

The Leopards will face either Jamaica or New Caledonia on 31 March in the FIFA Play-Off Tournament, and they are just one game away from returning to the global showpiece.

Here’s the DR Congo 🇨🇩 squad for the #FIFAWorldCup Playoffs!

No new faces. Returning are Jeremy Ngakia (Watford 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿), Dylan Batubinsika (AE Larissa 🇬🇷), Grady Diangana (Elche 🇪🇸), and Yoane Wissa (Newcastle United 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿).

They’ll face Bermuda 🇧🇲 in a friendly before taking on the… pic.twitter.com/8ueAlDZeNc

— The International Window (@windowintlpod) March 11, 2026

To get there, Sebastien Desabre’s men will need to see off the winner of the match between Jamaica and New Caledonia in the fixture slated for 31 March.

‘We haven’t seen as much of New Caledonia’

“A few of us are in a Snapchat group and Cedric (Bakambu, Congo DR forward) sent us highlights from Jamaica v Nigeria (a friendly match on 31 May 2025 which ended with a win for Nigeria on penalties),” Mpasi told FIFA.com.

“As Nigeria is a team we know well, it was a useful point of reference. We haven’t seen as much of New Caledonia, but I think the main thing will be to focus on ourselves. We certainly have a lot of tactical work to do when we’re there.”

On what DR Congo should anticipate during the Playoff, Mpasi said: “It’s inevitably going to be tough. Even though we are above both nations on the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, anything can happen on the pitch.

“I think it will be similar to when we lost to Algeria in the Africa Cup of Nations, a tight game decided by small details.”

‘You always have to believe’

Mpasi further discussed how they managed to bounce back after missing an automatic qualification following their two points behind Senegal.

“With dedication and hard work. We’ve been through two phases of qualifiers, and we were first in our group for a long time, but we missed out on qualifying directly in our second match against Senegal (a 3-2 defeat),” added Mpasi.

“We were disappointed, but we knew our path to the World Cup would be difficult, not impossible. We beat Cameroon and then Nigeria, so now we are just one step away from the World Cup. You always have to believe.”

He concluded: “Playing in the World Cup after 52 years would be historic for the country. We know that everyone is eager for us to make it and as a player, it would be the pinnacle of my career.

“If I get the chance to play in a World Cup, having made it to the highest level in France and getting my first minutes in Ligue 1 this year, then I could say that I’ve done everything I wanted to in football. If I reflect on everything I’ve been through, I have a lot to be proud of.”

DR Congo Squad for Intercontinental Play-Offs

Goalkeepers: Théo Fayulu (FC Noah, Armenia) – Lionel Mpasi (Le Havre, France) – Matthieu Epolo (Standard Liège, Belgium).

Defenders: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (West Ham United, England) – Jeremy Ngakia (Watford, England) – Joris Kayembe (Genk, Belgium) – Arthur Masuaku (Lens, France) – Chancel Mbemba (Lille, France) – Axel Tuanzebe (Burnley, England) – Rocky Bushiri (Hibernian, Scotland) – Steven Kapuadi (Legia Warsaw, Poland) – Batubinsika (Larissa, Greece).

Midfielders: Noah Sadiki (Sunderland, England) – Edo Kayembe (Watford, England) – Samuel Moutoussamy (Atromitos, Greece) – Charles Pickel (Espanyol, Spain) – Ngal’ayel Mukau (Lille, France) – Meshack Elia (Alanyaspor, Turkey) – Théo Bongonda (Spartak Moscow) – Nathanaël Mbuku (Montpellier, France) – Bryan Ssebinya (Castellón, Spain) – Grady Diangana (Elche, Spain).

Forwards: Simon Banza (Al Jazira, UAE) – Fiston Mayele (Pyramids FC) – Cédric Bakambu (Real Betis, Spain) – Yoane Wissa (Newcastle United, England).