Axel Tuanzebe sent the Democratic Republic of Congo into their first World Cup since 1974 with a 100th-minute winner against Jamaica on Tuesday night.
The Burnley star, 28, bundled home a corner off his midriff in extra-time to seal a 1-0 win in the intercontinental play-off final in Mexico.
DR Congo go into Group K with Portugal, Uzbekistan, and Colombia, and could meet England in the last 32 of the tournament.
It was a special moment for Tuanzebe, who was with Manchester United from 2006 until 2023, and for the Central African nation who had to battle through 13 games of qualifying, starting in November 2023.
Their squad boasts five current Premier League players in Tuanzebe (Burnley), Yoane Wissa (Newcastle), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (West Ham), Noah Sadiki (Sunderland), and Arthur Masuaku (Sunderland, on loan at Lens).
They also have Chancel Mbemba, once of Newcastle and now at Lille, and Grady Diangana, formerly at West Ham and West Brom and now playing for Elche.
Axel Tuanzebe’s 100th-minute winner against Jamaica sent the Democratic Republic of Congo to the World Cup
The Central African nation have qualified for their first World Cup since 1974
Add to that a striker of Cedric Bakambu’s ilk and DR Congo are putting together a competitive side for their trip to the World Cup.
Their last foray into the competition ended in disaster in 1974 as they lost all their games, conceding 14 goals and scoring none.
‘To get the winning goal for the country, this is what, as a young boy, you dream about,’ said Tuanzebe.
‘It’s happened for me, and I’m so very happy. I’m so proud of what I could do for my country.’
Mbemba added: ‘We’re going to enjoy the qualification, but we’ll keep working. We know we’ll be facing top nations who play in the World Cup every four years.
‘We’ll stay humble, keep our feet on the ground, and continue to work. It won’t be easy, but we’ll give everything to make our supporters and our people proud.’
DR Congo’s manager, Sebastien Desabre, deserves his flowers after leading a nation of around 124 million baying fans onto the global stage.
Fans took to the rain-soaked streets of the country’s capital Kinshasa to celebrate the feat.
Back in the country’s capital Kinshasa, the parties on the streets went on long into the night
DR Congo beat the likes of Cameroon and Nigeria on their way to making the tournament
DR Congo beat the likes of Cameroon and Nigeria to book their place in North America.
Jamaica will be bitterly disappointed after coming within one match of making their first World Cup since 1998.
Their squad has its own host of big names, including Aston Villa’s Leon Bailey, Brentford’s Ethan Pinnock, and Leicester’s Bobby De Cordova-Reid.
World Cup 2026Manchester United
