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Who is the head coach of DR Congo?
This is the 11th coaching role of France’s Sébastien Desabres in Africa.
The 49-year-old has led DR Congo to back-to-back qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations, reaching the semi-finals in 2023, as well as the World Cup. He had previous success with Uganda.
How did DR Congo make it to the last 32?
They earned their first World Cup points in their history with a 1–1 draw against heavily fanned Portugal but then lost 1–0 to Colombia. This resulted in DR Congo losing to Uzbekistan, who they duly beat 3–1 as one of the best third-placed teams to progress to the last 32.
Where can I see DR Congo?
Their last-32 tie against England will be live on BBC One on Wednesday 1 July, with the build-up starting at 16:00 BST.
The match will be covered live on BBC Radio 5 Live, the BBC Sport website and app.
Give me a fact to impress my friends
Superfan Michel Kuka Mboladinga, who went viral at the Africa Cup of Nations for his eye-catching patriotism during the games, has been included in DR Congo’s official World Cup squad at the request of the players.
Since 2013, Mboladinga has worn colorful suits and silently imitated a statue of revered revolutionary leader Patrice Lumumba, with one hand raised, for entire matches.
Now give me some exact details
Congolese proverb Grow bananas little by little Emphasizes the virtues of patience and steady progress. But the national soccer team’s 52-year gap between World Cups — the joint-fourth longest of any nation — has run out of patience and stalled progress. until now
The country has a determination to change the World Cup narrative after their debut in 1974 that left them ripe for ridicule. Zaire, then known as DR Congo, lost all three games – including 9–0 against Yugoslavia.
Then came the infamous moment when right-back Mwepu Ilunga charged to boot the ball beyond a defensive wall as Brazil took a free-kick.
Surprised onlookers didn’t know it was an act of political protest. The players learned they would not be paid their expected wages and bonuses – and Zaire’s president Mobutu then threatened them with deportation after a three-goal loss against Brazil.
Kicking the ball away, Ilunga wasted no time hoping for a bye. He was only booked in the 3–0 loss to Zaire; They were allowed to go home but President Mobutu cut off their funding.
Since then, the 1968 and 1974 African champions have been sidelined by a combination of conflict, corruption, poor football governance and a lack of facilities.
Current head coach Deshabare has brought in fresh talent from the vast Congolese diaspora – all but six of the World Cup squad were born in Europe – and the nation is now seeing the fruits of his relentlessly patient nurturing.
How did DR Congo in the previous World Cup?
The Central African nation has played in the World Cup only once before – in 1974, when the country was called Zaire. They lost all three of their group games without scoring, including 9–0 against Yugoslavia.
