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Congo national football team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with DR Congo national football team.
This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Congo women's national football team.
Congo
Nickname(s)Diables Rouges (The Red Devils)
Guerriers de l'Équateur (Warriors of the Equator)
AssociationFédération Congolaise de Football (FECOFOOT)
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Sub-confederationUNIFFAC (Central Africa)
Head coachBarthélémy Ngatsono
CaptainBéranger Itoua
Most capsJonas Bahamboula
Delvin N'Dinga (56)
Top scorerThievy Bifouma (16)
Home stadiumStade ya mbanza Kintélé
Stade Alphonse Massemba-Débat
FIFA codeCGO
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current 133 Increase 1 (1 April 2026)[1]
Highest42 (September 2015)
Lowest144 (September 2011)
First international
France French Congo 5–1 Cameroon France
(Middle Congo; 1954)[2]
Biggest win
 Congo 11–0 Chad 
(Congo; 28 March 1964)
 Congo 11–0 São Tomé and Príncipe 
(Libreville, Gabon; 7 July 1976)
Biggest defeat
 Malagasy Republic 8–1 Congo 
(Antananarivo, Madagascar; 18 April 1960)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances7 (first in 1968)
Best resultChampions (1972)

The Congo national football team (French: Équipe du Congo de football) represents the Republic of the Congo in men's association football and is governed by the Congolese Football Federation. They have never qualified for the World Cup, but did win the Africa Cup of Nations in 1972. They also won the All-Africa Games football tournament in 1965. The team is also a member of both FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

History

[edit]

The Congo national football team made its first ever appearance in February 1960 in a friendly against the Ivory Coast which they lost 4–2.[4] On 13 April, they defeated Reunion 4–1 in their first game to advance to the quarter-finals. In their quarter-final on 15 April, they defeated the Ivory Coast 3–2. On 17 April, they lost 5–4 to Cameroon and were beaten 8–1 by the host Madagascar in the third-place play-off on 19 April.

In April 1963 they entered another L'Amitié competition, this time in Senegal, and were drawn in a group with Tunisia, the Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo and Mauritania. They lost their opener 2–0 to Tunisia on 13 April but beat the Ivory Coast 3–2 the next day. On 15 April they beat their neighbour Congo Kinshasa 2–1, and then Mauritania 11–0 two days later, but did not advance to the next round.

In July 1965 the Congo held the 1965 All-Africa Games and were drawn in a group with Mali, Uganda and Togo. They drew 1–1 with Mali on 18 July and beat Uganda 2–1 the next day. On 21 July they drew 1–1 against Togo but advanced through to the semi-finals, where they beat the Ivory Coast 1–0 on 23 July. On 25 July the Congo drew 0–0 versus Mali in the final, but won the tournament by having won ten corners in the final compared to Mali's one.

On 11 January 1967 the Congo played their first non-African opposition, defeating Romania 1–0 in a home friendly. On 19 February 1967 the Congo travelled to Tunisia for their first ever African Cup of Nations qualifier, drawing 1–1. On 2 August 1967 they hosted a qualifier against Cameroon, and defeated them 2–1 to top their qualifying group and advance to their first finals.

The finals were held in Ethiopia in January 1968 and the Congo were drawn in a group with their neighbour Zaire, Senegal and Ghana. They lost the opener to Zaire 3–0 on 12 January and two days later lost 2–1 to Senegal. On 16 January the Congo were defeated 3–1 by Ghana and were knocked out.

The Congo hosted a friendly against Romania for the second successive year on 16 June 1968 and won 4–2. On 30 July 1968 they played their first ever South American opposition, losing a home friendly 2–0 to Brazil.

In 1972, the Congo won their only African Cup of Nations title. Congo defeated host Cameroon in the semi-final 1–0 before beating Mali 3–2 to claim the championship. On that squad was arguably Congo's most famous player, François M'Pelé, who starred for PSG in the 1970s.

In qualification for the 1998 World Cup, the Congo came within a win of qualifying for the final tournament. However, after home wins over Zambia, DR Congo and South Africa, Congo lost their final match 1–0 away to South Africa and was eliminated.

In February 2025 Congo was suspended from international competitions by FIFA due to "third-party interference" in FECOFOOT - Congolese football's governing body.[5]

Results and fixtures

[edit]
Main article: Congo national football team results (2020–present)

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2024

[edit]
19 November 2024 (2024-11-19) 2025 AFCON qualification Congo  0–1  Uganda Brazzaville, Congo
13:00 UTC+1 Report
  • Mutyaba 55'
 Stadium: Stade Alphonse Massemba-Débat
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: Mohamed Maarouf Eid Mansour (Egypt)

2025

[edit]
17 March 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Tanzania  3–0
Awarded[a]		  Congo TBD, Tanzania
24 March 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Congo  0–3
Awarded[b]		  Zambia TBD, Congo
5 September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Congo  1–1  Tanzania Brazzaville, Congo
Moussavou 68' Report Samatta 84' Stadium: Stade Alphonse Massemba-Débat
Referee: Thabang Ketshabile (Botwsana)
8 September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Congo  Canceled  Eritrea TBD, Congo
8 October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Niger  3–1  Congo Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
19:00 UTC+0
Report Bassinga 90+4' Stadium: Stade du 4 Août
Referee: Boubou Traoré (Mali)
13 October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Morocco  1–0  Congo Rabat, Morocco
20:00 UTC+1 En-Nesyri 63' Report Stadium: Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium
Referee: Abdel Aziz Bouh (Mauritania)

Coaching staff

[edit]
Position Name
Head coach Republic of the Congo Barthélémy Ngatsono
Assistant coaches Republic of the Congo Moïse Mavundza
Republic of the Congo Henri Nganga
Goalkeeping coach Republic of the Congo Gérald Mbandaka
Fitness coach Republic of the Congo Formose Kimbuta
Match analyst Republic of the Congo François Mpanga
Doctors Republic of the Congo Dr. Stéphane Mavungu
Republic of the Congo Dr. Gervais Tchibinda
Physiotherapists Republic of the Congo Aurélien Kimpembe
Republic of the Congo Maurice Mvoungou
Republic of the Congo Loïc Kimbela
Republic of the Congo Jérôme Tchuka
Team coordinator Republic of the Congo Hervé Ngolo
Technical director Republic of the Congo Maxime Nzassi

Coaching history

[edit]

Players

[edit]

Current squad

[edit]

The following players were called-up for the 2025 AFCON qualification matches against South Sudan and Uganda on 14 and 19 November 2024 respectively.[citation needed]

Caps and goals are correct as of 19 November 2024, after the match against Uganda

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Trey Vimalin (2001-01-28) 28 January 2001 (age 25) 4 0 French Football Federation Fleury 91
1GK Marly Prince Heritier (1999-04-10) 10 April 1999 (age 27) 1 0 Football Federation of Kosovo Feronikeli 74
1GK Chelcy Bonazebi (2006-05-18) 18 May 2006 (age 19) 0 0 Congolese Football Federation CARA Brazzaville
1GK David Opoundja (1998-04-03) 3 April 1998 (age 28) 0 0 Congolese Association Football Federation Celeste
2DF Ryan Bidounga (1997-04-29) 29 April 1997 (age 28) 10 0 Bulgarian Football Union CSKA 1948
2DF Bryan Passi (1997-08-05) 5 August 1997 (age 28) 10 0 Portuguese Football Federation Mafra
2DF Morgan Poaty (1997-07-15) 15 July 1997 (age 28) 10 0 Swiss Football Association Lausanne-Sport
2DF Romaric Etou (1995-05-25) 25 May 1995 (age 30) 7 0 Georgian Football Federation Dila Gori
2DF Loïs Fauriel (2002-07-17) 17 July 2002 (age 23) 3 0 Cyprus Football Association Doxa Katokopias
2DF Christ Makosso (2004-05-09) 9 May 2004 (age 21) 3 0 French Football Federation Sochaux
2DF Janard Berlohd Mbemba (2002-03-06) 6 March 2002 (age 24) 3 0 Congolese Football Federation Diables Noirs
3MF Harvy Ossété (1999-08-18) 18 August 1999 (age 26) 31 0 Congolese Association Football Federation Saint-Éloi Lupopo
3MF Merveil Ndockyt (1998-07-20) 20 July 1998 (age 27) 27 1 Croatian Football Federation Gorica
3MF Gaius Makouta (1997-07-25) 25 July 1997 (age 28) 24 2 Portuguese Football Federation Boavista
3MF Fred Dembi (1995-02-21) 21 February 1995 (age 31) 12 1 French Football Federation Red Star
3MF Chandrel Massanga (1999-08-17) 17 August 1999 (age 26) 12 1 Turkish Football Federation Hatayspor
3MF Nolan Mbemba (1995-02-19) 19 February 1995 (age 31) 10 0 French Football Federation Grenoble
3MF Glid Otanga (2000-08-14) 14 August 2000 (age 25) 1 0 Israel Football Association Bnei Sakhnin
4FW Prestige Mboungou (2000-07-10) 10 July 2000 (age 25) 31 2 Football Association of Serbia TSC
4FW Silvère Ganvoula (1996-06-29) 29 June 1996 (age 29) 24 6 Italian Football Federation Monza
4FW Mons Bassouamina (1998-05-28) 28 May 1998 (age 27) 13 2 French Football Federation Pau
4FW Yann Mabella (1996-02-22) 22 February 1996 (age 30) 8 0 Luxembourg Football Federation RFCU Union
4FW Christopher Ibayi (1995-07-18) 18 July 1995 (age 30) 3 2 French Football Federation Rouen
4FW Jason Bahamboula (2001-06-15) 15 June 2001 (age 24) 2 0 Canadian Soccer Association HFX Wanderers
4FW Archange Bintsouka (2002-10-25) 25 October 2002 (age 23) 2 0 Albanian Football Federation Partizani
4FW Elie Andzouono (2002-01-02) 2 January 2002 (age 24) 1 0 Congolese Football Federation Diables Noirs
4FW Beni Namboka (2004-06-04) 4 June 2004 (age 21) 1 0 Congolese Association Football Federation Celeste

Recent call-ups

[edit]

The following players were called up for Congo in the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Christoffer Mafoumbi (1994-03-03) 3 March 1994 (age 32) 38 0 Malta Floriana v.  South Africa, 11 October 2024
DF Yhoan Andzouana (1996-12-13) 13 December 1996 (age 29) 14 0 Slovakia DAC v.  South Sudan, 14 November 2024 PRE
MF Raviere Otanga (2000-08-14) 14 August 2000 (age 25) 3 0 Ghana Hearts of Oak v.  South Africa, 11 October 2024
MF Antoine Makoumbou (1998-07-18) 18 July 1998 (age 27) 19 1 Italy Cagliari v.  South Africa, 11 October 2024 PRE
FW Josna Loulendo (2004-01-15) 15 January 2004 (age 22) 2 0 United Arab Emirates Al Ain v.  South Africa, 11 October 2024
  • DEC Player refused to join the team after the call-up.
  • INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
  • PRE Preliminary squad.
  • RET Player has retired from international football.
  • SUS Suspended from the national team.

Records

[edit]
As of 14 October 2025[8]
Players in bold are still active with Congo.

Most appearances

[edit]
Delvin N'Dinga is Congo's joint-most capped player with 56 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Jonas Bahamboula 56 13 1969–1982
Delvin N'Dinga 56 1 2008–2021
3 Destin Makita 55 1 2001–2013
4 Barel Mouko 51 1 2004–2018
5 Magnoléké Bissiki 45 0 2012–2021
6 Oscar Ewolo 44 2 2000–2013
7 Prince Oniangué 43 8 2008–2019
8 Thievy Bifouma 41 16 2014–2023
Francis N'Ganga 41 3 2008–2017
10 Christoffer Mafoumbi 38 0 2012–present
Brice Samba 38 0 1990–2001

Top goalscorers

[edit]
Thievy Bifouma is Congo's top scorer with 16 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Thievy Bifouma 16 41 0.39 2014–2023
2 Jonas Bahamboula 13 56 0.23 1969–1982
3 François M'Pelé 12 29 0.41 1971–1978
4 Paul Moukila 11 31 0.35 1970–1978
5 Anges Ngapy 10 33 0.3 1984–1993
Férébory Doré 10 37 0.27 2010–2017
7 Jean-Jacques N'Domba 8 35 0.23 1974–1992
Prince Oniangué 8 43 0.19 2008–2019
9 Kader Bidimbou 5 13 0.38 2014–2023
Guy Mbenza 5 21 0.24 2017–2023
Rolf-Christel Guié-Mien 5 25 0.2 1996–2008
Hardy Binguila 5 29 0.17 2013–2023
Silvère Ganvoula 5 29 0.17 2014–present
Fabrice Ondama 5 37 0.14 2006–2017

Competition records

[edit]

FIFA World Cup

[edit]
FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1958 Part of  France Part of  France
as  Congo-Brazzaville
Chile 1962 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
England 1966 Entry not accepted by FIFA Entry not accepted by FIFA
as  People's Republic of the Congo
Mexico 1970 Did not enter Did not enter
West Germany 1974 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 2 3
Argentina 1978 4 1 1 2 7 8
Spain 1982 Did not enter Did not enter
Mexico 1986
Italy 1990
as  Republic of the Congo
United States 1994 Did not qualify 4 0 0 4 0 5
France 1998 8 4 2 2 8 6
South Korea Japan 2002 10 3 2 5 10 17
Germany 2006 12 4 2 6 12 15
South Africa 2010 6 3 0 3 7 8
Brazil 2014 8 4 3 1 13 4
Russia 2018 8 2 2 4 11 16
Qatar 2022 6 0 3 3 5 10
Canada Mexico United States 2026 8 0 1 7 4 24
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 0/15 76 21 17 38 79 116

Africa Cup of Nations

[edit]
Africa Cup of Nations record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Sudan 1957 Part of  France
United Arab Republic 1959
Played as  Congo-Brazzaville
Ethiopia 1962 Not affiliated to CAF
Ghana 1963
Tunisia 1965
Ethiopia 1968 Group stage 7th 3 0 0 3 2 8
Played as  People's Republic of the Congo
Sudan 1970 Did not enter
Cameroon 1972 Winners 1st 5 3 1 1 9 7
Egypt 1974 Fourth place 4th 5 2 1 2 7 10
Ethiopia 1976 Did not qualify
Ghana 1978 Group stage 7th 3 0 1 2 1 4
Nigeria 1980 Did not qualify
Libya 1982
Ivory Coast 1984
Egypt 1986
Morocco 1988
Algeria 1990 Did not enter
Played as  Republic of the Congo
Senegal 1992 Quarter-finals 5th 3 0 2 1 2 3
Tunisia 1994 Did not qualify
South Africa 1996
Burkina Faso 1998
Ghana Nigeria 2000 Group stage 11th 3 0 1 2 0 2
Mali 2002 Did not qualify
Tunisia 2004
Egypt 2006
Ghana 2008
Angola 2010
Gabon Equatorial Guinea 2012
South Africa 2013
Equatorial Guinea 2015 Quarter-finals 5th 4 2 1 1 6 6
Gabon 2017 Did not qualify
Egypt 2019
Cameroon 2021
Ivory Coast 2023
Morocco 2025
Kenya Tanzania Uganda 2027 To be determined
2029
Total 1 Title 7/35 26 7 7 12 27 40

African Games

[edit]
See also: Congo national under-23 football team
See also: Congo national under-20 football team
African Games record
Year Result Pld W D L GF GA
Republic of the Congo 1965 Gold 5 3 1 1 11 5
Nigeria 1973 6th 3 1 0 2 5 8
Total 2/4 8 4 1 3 16 13

Honours

[edit]

Continental

[edit]

Regional

[edit]
  • CEMAC Cup
    • 1st place, gold medalist(s) Champions (2): 2007, 2010
    • 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runners-up (2): 2008, 2014
    • 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Third place (2): 2003, 2013
  • UDEAC Championship
    • 1st place, gold medalist(s) Champions (1): 1990
    • 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runners-up (2): 1984, 1985
    • 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Third place (2): 1986, 1988
  • Central African Games
    • 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Silver medal (2): 1976, 1981
    • 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Bronze medal (1): 1987

Summary

[edit]
Competition 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Total
CAF African Cup of Nations 1 0 0 1
Total 1 0 0 1
Notes
  1. Competition organized by ANOCA, officially not recognized by FIFA.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Tanzania were awarded a 3–0 victory by forfeit due to Congo's suspension by FIFA on 6 February for government interference in Congolese Football Federation operations. The suspension was lifted on 14 May 2025.[6][7]
  2. ^ Zambia were awarded a 3–0 victory by forfeit due to Congo's suspension by FIFA on 6 February for government interference in Congolese Football Federation operations. The suspension was lifted on 14 May 2025.[6][7]

References

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  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". 1 April 2026. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  2. ^ "World Football Elo Ratings". www.eloratings.net. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  3. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  4. ^ "Congo (Brazzaville) - List of International Matches". RSSSF. Rec. Sport Soccer Statistics Foundation. 23 December 2013. Archived from the original on 19 August 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  5. ^ "FIFA suspends the Congolese Football Association and the Pakistan Football Federation". FIFA.com. FIFA. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Suspension of the Congolese Football Association (FECOFOOT) from 6 February 2025 until further notice" (PDF). FIFA Circular. No. 1922. 6 February 2025. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Scores & Fixtures". FIFA.
  8. ^ Mamrud, Roberto. "Congo-Brazzaville – Record International Players". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
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