The opening group stage qualifiers will feature 12 Groups, with matches scheduled between September 24th and October 6th.
Several high-profile encounters will provide an exciting start to the qualifying campaign, including a heavyweight West African meeting between former African champions Ivory Coast and Ghana, while Morocco host Gabon.
Desabre adds new Europe-based talent
For the Leopards, they have been drawn in Group E of the qualifiers alongside Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe.
They will start their qualification campaign against Equatorial Guinea on September 24th in Kinshasa, before taking on Zimbabwe away in Harare on September 28th.
Desabre has added new Europe-based talent to the squad following their 2026 World Cup run, among them Willy Kambwala, Ezechiel Banzuzi, Stanis Idumbo, Jordy Makengo, Noah Mbamba, and Kevin Pedro.
The AFCON qualifiers come a few months after D.R. Congo made a historic return to the FIFA World Cup in June 2026, marking their first appearance in 52 years since competing as Zaire in 1974.
Yoane Wissa scored the nation’s first-ever World Cup goal and secured their historic first point against Portugal in a 1-1 draw.
Their first-ever World Cup win came against Uzbekistan, a 3-1 result, with goals from Wissa and Fiston Mayele, sending them to the knockout stage.
The Leopards reached the Round of 32, where they came up against England. The Three Lions narrowly defeated them 2-1 in a match where the Leopards held a strong challenge before Harry Kane’s late goals secured the win for England.
D.R. Congo remains one of the major participants at the Africa Cup of Nations, having appeared in 20 editions of the AFCON tournament.
They are also among Africa's most successful teams, having won the title twice: once in 1968 as Congo-Kinshasa and again in 1974 as Zaire.
However, since then, success has eluded the national side of DR Congo, in spite of their frequent participation in the tournament. Their best result since 1974 was third place in 1998 and 2015.
In addition to the two qualifiers, D.R. Congo will also face Uganda in two-legged international friendly matches on October 2nd and 5th.
Meanwhile, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed Gambia’s first match in the 2027 PAMOJA qualifiers, a home game against Somalia, scheduled for Friday, September 25th, at Bakau’s Independence Stadium.
After that, coach Johnathan McKinstry’s team will face Ghana on Tuesday, September 29th, at Accra Sports Stadium.
This historic event signifies the Scorpions’ highly anticipated return home—their first game on home ground since their victorious 1-0 win over Angola in March 2021, when Assan Ceesay’s sole goal earned Gambia its first-ever AFCON qualification.
It also marks the first time the Gambia national team has played in front of a home crowd since the exciting 2-2 draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo in November 2019.
After years of playing abroad, experiencing the energy of local fans again offers a significant morale boost and helps reestablish Bakau as a true stronghold of national pride.
D.R Congo 2027 AFCON qualifiers squad
Goalkeepers: Matthieu Epolo (Standard de Liège), Dimitry Bertaud (Forge), Nathan Ndibu (Les Aigles du Congo).
Defenders: Aaron Wan Bissaka (Aston Villa), Gedeon Kalulu (Aris), Kevin Pedro (Saint-Etienne), Joris Kayembe (Genk), Steve Kapuadi (Widzew Lodz), Arthur Masuaku (Konyaspor), Jordy Makengo (Freiburg), Chancel Mbemba (Al Diriya), Axel Tuanzebe (AJ Auxerre), Willy Kambwala (Como), Dylan Batubinsika (FC Bucuresti).
Midfielders: Noah Sadiki (Sunderland), Samuel Moutoussamy (Atromitos), Edo Kayembe (Watford), Ngal’ayel Mukau (Lille), Noah Mbamba (Lorient), Ezechiel Banzuzi (RB Leipzig), Nathanael Mbuku (St Trond), Brian Cipenga (Almeria), Meschak Elia (Alanyaspor), Théo Bongonda (Al Faisaly), Stanis Idumbo (Monaco).
Strikers: Afimico Pululu (Al Hazem), Yoane Wissa (Newcastle United), Simon Banza (Al Jazira), Fiston Mayele (Al Ahli Tripoli).
