DR Congo soccer team arrives in Houston as World Cup begins

The Leopards will make Houston their home base during the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and train at The team will train at SaberCats Stadium in south Houston. DR Congo plays its first match of the World Cup against Portugal at Houston Stadium on Wednesday.

The team arrived at the Omni Houston Hotel following the airport, where fans greeted the players and members of the traveling staff.

Therese Lunde, who was born in the African country and has lived in Houston for 26 years, said she was about to cry when she saw the team walk into the hotel.

“We are proud of them. They’re going to make our country proud again,” Lunde said.

Furah Kashemwa, who has also lived in Houston for 26 years, said it feels like a dream that the team is here.

“I was so proud to see those young kids because they’re very young but they love the country,“ Kashemwa said. “They’re here to spread the story of the country.” 

DR Congo is in Group K with Colombia, Portugal and Uzbekistan.

Following its match against Portugal, the team will play Colombia in Mexico and Uzbekistan in Atlanta.

Kapinga Yvette Ngandu, Democratic Republic of Congo ambassador to the U.S., told the Chronicle that the Ebola outbreak in her county will reduce the number of people traveling from across the ocean.

But she noted the DRC has a large diaspora across the U.S. and the world and she expects people from near and far to come support the team.

“We’re counting on that show of solidarity, that show of unity, that show of companionship,” Ngandu said.

DR Congo had planned to spend the first few days of training in its capital, Kinshasa, but that was canceled due to the Ebola outbreak in the country.

None of the players on the team play for teams in DR Congo. 

The Leopards enter the tournament ranked 46th in the world. Portugal is ranked fifth while Colombia is 13th. Only two other groups feature two teams ranked inside the top 13. Uzbekistan is ranked 50th.

This is the first time in 52 years the country is playing in the World Cup. Its only previous appearance came at the 1974 World Cup in West Germany, when the country was known as Zaire.

The Leopards qualified for the World Cup at the end of March via the qualification playoffs. Defender Axel Tuanzebe scored the game-winning goal in extra time to push DR Congo past Jamaica for a 1-0 win and a spot in the tournament.