Football in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Football in the Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
---|---|
Governing body | Congolese Association Football Federation |
National team(s) | men's national team |
National competitions | |
Club competitions | |
International competitions | |
Champions League CAF Confederation Cup Super Cup FIFA Club World Cup FIFA World Cup (National Team) African Cup of Nations (National Team) |
Football is the most popular sport played in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The national football team has won the African Cup of Nations twice: in 1968 and 1974 under the nations' former name Zaire. The national team qualified for the World Cup in 1974, their only appearance in that tournament.[1][2]
At club level, in the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup, TP Mazembe made history as the first ever African club to reach a FIFA tournament final, beating the 2010 Copa Libertadores champions SC Internacional in the semifinals and losing to European Champions Internazionale in the final.[3][4][5][6]
Although DR Congo has had limited international success since the late 1970s, numerous players of Conogolese descent have played professionally in Europe, including Romelu Lukaku, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Jonathan Ikoné, Michy Batshuayi, Youri Tielemans, Steve Mandanda, Tanguy Ndombele, Christian Benteke, Elio Capradossi, Sara Gama, Axel Tuanzebe, Isaac Kiese Thelin, José Bosingwa and Denis Zakaria.
See also[]
- DR Congo national football team
- DR Congo women's national football team
- Congolese Association Football Federation
References[]
- ^ "Africa Honors Its Soccer Past and Looks Forward". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
- ^ Merrill, Austin. "Zaire, the Leopards, and the 1974 World Cup". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
- ^ "TP Mazembe beat Pachuca at the Club World Cup". BBC Sport. 2010-12-10. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
- ^ "Inter stunned as Mazembe reach final". Fifa.com. Archived from the original on December 17, 2010. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
- ^ "TP Mazembe 0 - 3 Internazionale". ESPN Soccernet. 2010-12-18. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
- ^ "TP Mazembe vs FC Internazionale Preview". Goal.com. 2013-11-28. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
Further reading[]
- Van Peel, Bénédict (2001). "Aux débuts du football congolais". In Vellut, Jean-Luc (ed.). Itinéraires croisés de la modernité : Congo belge, 1920-1950. Tervuren: Cahiers Africains. pp. 141–188. ISBN 2747505766.
- Football in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Democratic Republic of the Congo sport stubs
- Association football stubs