DR Congo seeks World Cup redemption 52 years after disastrous debut

Three games, three defeats, 14 goals conceded, no goals scored — DR Congo's FIFA World Cup debut in 1974 was certainly one to forget. The first side from sub-Saharan Africa to qualify for the finals, the country then known as Zaire lost 2-0 to Scotland and 9-0 against Yugoslavia before another infamous moment in their final group game against Brazil.

Trailing 2-0 late in the second half, Leopards defender Mwepu Ilunga bolted out of the defensive wall as the defending champions prepared to take a free-kick and thumped the ball high and long downfield. The right-back was booked and ridicule followed — including suggestions that Zaire's players did not even know the laws of the game. Almost 40 years later, Ilunga revealed it was an act of protest. "I was aware of football regulations. I did it on purpose," he told the BBC in 2010, five years before his death.

A year of contrasts: World Cup failure and the Rumble in the Jungle

Later in 1974, the world's eyes were back on the central African country when its capital Kinshasa became the stage for one of sport's greatest ever events. At huge expense, Zaire's president Mobutu Sese Seko secured hosting rights for the heavyweight world title clash between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, the fight that became known as the Rumble in the Jungle. "Geopolitically, President Mobutu really pulled off a media coup because his country was discovered and became known across the world," recalls journalist Justin Kabala Mwana, who covered the bout.

Now, 52 years on from both one of the country's darkest sporting chapters and one of its most celebrated occasions, DR Congo face England in the last 32 at this year's World Cup on Wednesday (17:00 BST). And like the Rumble in the Jungle, Kabala sees the game in Atlanta as a chance for a country hit hard by conflict and corruption over decades to "regain its unity and dignity."

Political backdrop: Independence, dictatorship, and economic crisis

Congo had been granted independence from Belgium in 1960, but Mobutu seized power in a military coup in 1965 before renaming the country Zaire six years later. As the president used his power to amass a huge personal fortune, the local economy suffered. "The price of copper was slashed drastically — very seriously. Petrol had stopped flowing at the pumps and the World Bank had got involved to steer Zaire's economy," Kabala recalled. "It was a crisis."

Yet the country's footballers were making a mark on the continental stage, claiming three African club titles between 1967 and 1973, the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in 1968 and 1974, and then World Cup qualification. President Mobutu rewarded those in the Leopards squad with a house and car each, and made sure preparations for the World Cup were on track. "President Mobutu took us under his wing," former Zaire forward Mayanga Maku told BBC Sport Africa. "We withdrew from our respective clubs and we focused solely on the national team. He was the one who ran everything. We were on the right track until we arrived there."

Behind the scenes: Unpaid bonuses and player protests

Zaire travelled to West Germany in June 1974 on a high after claiming their second Afcon title three months earlier, but all was not well behind the scenes. Players initially refused to play against Yugoslavia in protest over unpaid allowances received from FIFA, which they accused football federation bosses of spending. "We were not a bad team. If we got [to the World Cup], it was providence," reserve goalkeeper Mohamed Kalambay told Sporting Witness in 2022. "We were missing one small thing: recognition. We didn't get our bonuses. You don't have the morale to play. And that's what happened to us."

The players did take the field against Yugoslavia but were resoundingly thrashed, with goalkeeper Kazadi Mwamba substituted in the 21st minute when 3-0 down and striker Pierre Ndaye Mulamba sent off soon afterwards.