DR Congo face England in World Cup last 32 having qualified 52 years ago as Zaire

The Democratic Republic of Congo have made World Cup history at the 2026 tournament, advancing to the knockout rounds for the first time and earning a round-of-32 meeting with England in Atlanta — a fixture that has prompted many fans to revisit the nation’s only previous appearance on football’s biggest stage, 52 years ago under an entirely different name.

Sebastien Desabre’s side, known as the Leopards, emerged from Group K as one of the best third-placed finishers after a dramatic final group stage. A 1-1 draw against Portugal and a narrow 1-0 defeat to Colombia left DR Congo needing a strong result in their last match, which they delivered by beating Uzbekistan 3-1 to seal their historic place in the last 32.

The achievement is unprecedented for the modern nation, but the country has appeared at a World Cup before. In 1974, they became the first Sub-Saharan African nation to qualify for the tournament — competing under the name Zaire. That squad was eliminated in the group stage, losing all three matches without scoring a goal.

The name Zaire was introduced in 1971 by dictator Mobutu Sese Seko as part of a sweeping cultural campaign to remove European colonial influences from the country’s identity. Before that change, the nation had been known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo since gaining independence from Belgium in 1960, and was commonly referred to as Congo-Kinshasa to distinguish it from the neighbouring Republic of the Congo.

The word Zaire itself originated from a Portuguese mispronunciation of a Kikongo term for the Congo River, a phrase that translates roughly as “the river that swallows all rivers.”

The country reverted to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1997, when rebel leader Laurent-Désiré Kabila overthrew Mobutu and immediately restored the former name.

Now, nearly three decades on from that political transformation, DR Congo are writing a new chapter in their sporting history. Standing between them and the quarter-finals is Thomas Tuchel’s England side, who will face a Leopards team competing in a World Cup knockout match for the very first time.