Congo DR and the 2030 World Cup

Ranked 40th in the world, 7th in CAF. 69.2% to qualify in our simulations.

Updated 22 October 2026

40thFIFA ranking, of 211

7thof 54 in CAF

1506rating points

62 / 83attack / defence, out of 100

69.2%qualify (simulated)

Chances at the 2030 World Cup

Congo DR qualify in 69.2% of simulated campaigns: more likely to be there than not, with little margin for a bad window. The single most likely outcome is not qualifying (30.8% of cycles).

When they are at the finals, Congo DR get out of their group 57.5% of the time and win the tournament in <0.1% of all cycles.

A 64-team World Cup would change the picture: with the extra places the simulator assumes for that format, Congo DR qualify in 77.6% of campaigns instead of 69.2%.

Qualify69.2%
Round of 3239.8%
Round of 1611.2%
Quarter-finals3.0%
Semi-finals0.6%
Final<0.1%
Champions<0.1%

Share of 20,000 simulated cycles, from first qualifier to final, in which Congo DR got at least this far. How the simulation works · All 211 nations

The route to the finals

Africa's qualifying is played in eight groups: only the group winners qualify, and the four best runners-up play off for a place in the inter-confederation play-off. Congo DR come in at the group stage.

There are 8 places for the 53 nations that have to qualify, plus one route through the inter-confederation play-off, where five teams from five confederations contest two more places on neutral ground. Congo DR end up in that play-off in 6.0% of simulated campaigns.

CAF qualifying in full: format, what is official and every nation's odds.

How strong are they?

Congo DR have 1506.37 points in the FIFA ranking published on 7 October 2026, which places them 40th in the world and 7th of the 54 nations in Africa. The simulator uses that points total directly as the team's rating.

Their attack score is 62 and their defence score 83, on a scale of 1 to 100 built from the last 30 internationals. The scores describe a side built on defence: fewer goals scored than its rating would suggest, and fewer conceded.

What the match engine expects from Congo DR in three fixtures, over ninety minutes.
Opponent	Fixture	Expected goals	Win	Draw	Lose
Cameroon	At home to the next side in the CAF ranking	1.53 – 1.14	45%	28%	27%
Morocco	At home to CAF's highest-ranked side	0.74 – 2.02	12%	22%	66%
Spain	Against the top-ranked side from another confederation, on neutral ground	0.30 – 2.36	3%	15%	82%

Around them in CAF

Congo DR and the nations ranked around them in CAF.
In CAF	Nation	FIFA rank	Points	Qualifies	Champion
4	Algeria	28	1575	82.0%	0.1%
5	Côte d'Ivoire	29	1569	80.7%	<0.1%
6	Nigeria	30	1568	80.4%	<0.1%
7	Congo DR	40	1506	69.2%	<0.1%
8	Cameroon	42	1485	65.5%	0%
9	Mali	47	1474	64.2%	0%
10	South Africa	48	1469	39.0%	0%

Congo DR at the World Cup

2World Cups played

Round of 32best finish · 2026

2026last World Cup

They have played at 2 World Cups, the first in 1974 and the most recent in 2026. Their best finish is the round of 32, in 2026. They played in 1974 as Zaire.

At the 2026 World Cup they reached the round of 32, with 1 win, 1 draw and 2 defeats in 4 matches (goals 5–5). Before the tournament, the 2026 simulator had them reaching the round of 32 in 41.7% of 50,000 simulated tournaments. How the simulator's numbers compared with the whole tournament.

Congo DR's matches at the 2026 World Cup. The last column is the 2026 simulator's chance, before the tournament, of the result that happened — in a knock-out match, of the side that went through doing so.
Date	Round	Opponent	Score	Chance beforehand
17 June	Group stage	Portugal	1–1	17%
24 June	Group stage	Colombia	0–1	67%
27 June	Group stage	Uzbekistan	3–1	41%
1 July	Round of 32	England	1–2	86%

Play it out: take Congo DR through Africa's qualifying, or change their rating in the team editor and see what it takes.

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