Colombia Surpasses Democratic Republic of the Congo and Advances to the Round of 32 in the World Cup

Colombia secured its passage to the Round of 32 in the 2026 World Cup before the conclusion of the group stage by one round, following their 1-0 victory over the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Wednesday.

In the first half, the Colombian team imposed their style on the flow of the game, playing with complete ease, while the Congolese team decided to retreat and rely on counterattacks.

Congolese goalkeeper Lionel Mbasi shone by deflecting three to four definite goal attempts and saving his team from a certain goal, ending the first half in a goalless draw between the two teams.

At the start of the second half, Colombia continued to dominate the flow of the game, threatening and reaching the goal multiple times but failing to score.

The goal finally came in the 76th minute when Daniel Munoz scored to give Colombia the lead. Luis Diaz managed to score twice, but both goals were disallowed for offside in the 79th and 81st minutes.

With this victory and the three points secured, Colombia officially advanced to the Round of 32, leading their group with 6 points, while the Democratic Republic of the Congo remained at one point in third place.