Atlanta – Qena:
The Democratic Republic of Congo qualified for the round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, after defeating its Uzbek counterpart, 3-1, in the match that brought them together at Atlanta Stadium in the third and final round of Group Eleven competitions.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo national team finished the group stage in third place with four points, collected from a win, a draw and a loss, to reserve the qualification ticket among the best third-placed teams, while the Uzbekistan national team is at the bottom of the group without a score.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo national team, led by its French coach Sebastien Desabre, achieved a historic achievement by recording its first victory in the World Cup finals, in its second participation in the tournament after its first appearance in 1974, and also ensured reaching the qualifying rounds for the first time in its history.
The Uzbekistan national team took an early lead with a goal scored by Eldor Shomurodov in the 10th minute after a pass from Akmal Mozgovoy, before Yoan Wesa equalized for the Democratic Republic of the Congo from a penalty kick in the 68th minute.
The Congolese national team continued its pressure during the final minutes, with Fiston Miley succeeding in scoring the second goal in the 78th minute, before Yoan Wessa returned and concluded the hat-trick with a powerful shot from outside the penalty area in the first minute of stoppage time (90+1).
.
