Haunted no more: DR Congo reach World Cup knockout stages 52 years on

ATLANTA, June 27 : The Democratic Republic of Congo's only previous World Cup appearance left a shadow over the country's soccer history, but more than half a century later they wrote a new chapter in Atlanta by clinching a place in the knockout stages on Saturday.

DR Congo players collapsed to the turf before celebrating a historic 3-1 win over Uzbekistan which sealed their spot in the Round of 32 as one of eight best third-placed sides.

Their first World Cup was unforgettable for all the wrong reasons, but 52 years later Congo have made their mark on the tournament in the best way possible.

In 1974, with the country then called Zaire, they exited the tournament in embarrassing fashion after three defeats in which they failed to score and conceded 14 goals, including a 9-0 hammering by Yugoslavia.

In 2026, DR Congo had already restored their image in their opening Group K match with Portugal, scoring their first World Cup goal and earning their first point when they held their Cristiano Ronaldo-led opponents to a 1-1 draw.

A 1-0 loss to Colombia followed but the Congolese went into Saturday's clash with Uzbekistan knowing a win would see them advance and they duly delivered despite going in a goal behind at the break.

DR Congo arrived in the U.S. on the back of an Ebola outbreak which disrupted pre-tournament plans, and little was expected of a side which needed 13 games to qualify, including an inter-confederation win over Jamaica after extra time.

Their debut World Cup came 14 years after independence from Belgium and following their first qualifying campaign. They went to West Germany on the back of winning their second Africa Cup of Nations, but those dizzy heights seemed unlikely to return.

Until now, when this team have