The Democratic Republic of Congo's team secured its spot in the global playoff for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers after an exciting victory over Nigeria by penalty shootout with a score of 4-3, following a 1-1 draw in both regular and extra time.

Nigeria scored the opening goal through Frank Onyeka in the 3rd minute, while Congo equalized in the 32nd minute through Meshack Elia.

After the regular and extra time ended in a positive draw, the teams resorted to penalty shootouts, which favored Congo amidst a remarkable performance by their goalkeeper Timothy Fayulu, who saved three penalty kicks.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has qualified for the World Cup only once in its history, which was in the 1974 edition in Germany, when they participated under the name Zaire, not the Democratic Republic of Congo.