Congo national football team
The Congo national football team (French: Équipe de football du Congo) 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).
| Nickname(s) | Les Diables Rouges (The Red Devils) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Fédération Congolaise de Football (FECOFOOT) | |||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | |||
| Sub-confederation | UNIFFAC (Central Africa) | |||
| Head coach | Isaac Ngata (Interim) | |||
| Captain | Amour Loussoukou | |||
| Most caps | Jonas Bahamboula Delvin N'Dinga (56) | |||
| Top scorer | Thievy Bifouma (16) | |||
| Home stadium | Stade Municipal de Kintélé Stade Alphonse Massemba-Débat | |||
| FIFA code | CGO | |||
| ||||
| FIFA ranking | ||||
| Current | 113 2 (20 June 2024)[1] | |||
| Highest | 42 (September 2015) | |||
| Lowest | 144 (September 2011) | |||
| First international | ||||
| French Congo 5–1 Cameroon (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 | ||||
| Appearances | 7 (first in 1968) | |||
| Best result | Champions (1972) | |||
| Jordan International Tournament | ||||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 1992) | |||
| Best result | Fourth place (1992) | |||
History
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.[3] 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.
Results and fixtures
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
2023
| 10 September 2023 AFCON qualification | Gambia | 2–2 | Congo | Marrakesh, Morocco |
| 20:00 UTC+1 | Report | Stadium: Stade de Marrakech Referee: Mohamed Maarouf Eid Mansour (Egypt) |
| 17 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Zambia | 4–2 | Congo | Ndola, Zambia |
| 18:00 UTC+2 | Report |
|
Stadium: Levy Mwanawasa Stadium Referee: Mahmoud El Banna (Egypt) |
2024
| 25 March Friendly | Gabon | 1–1 | Congo | Chambly, France |
| 20:30 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Stade des Marais |
| 6 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Congo | Postponed[lower-alpha 1] | Niger | Kinshasa, DR Congo |
| 17:00 UTC+1 | Report | Stadium: Stade des Martyrs |
| 11 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Congo | 0–6 | Morocco | Agadir, Morocco |
| 17:00 UTC+1 | Report | Stadium: Adrar Stadium Attendance: 30,000 Referee: Daniel Nii Laryea (Ghana) |
2025
| March 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Tanzania | v | Congo | TBD, Tanzania |
| March 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Congo | v | Zambia | TBD, Congo |
| September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Congo | v | Tanzania | TBD, Congo |
| September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Congo | v | Eritrea | TBD, Congo |
| October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Niger | v | Congo | TBD, Niger |
| October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Morocco | v | Congo | TBD, Morocco |
Coaches
- Paul Ebondzibato (1962–1964)
- Vasily Sokolov (1964–1965)
- Paul Ebondzibato (1965–1970)
- Adolphe Bibanzoulou (1970–1973)
- Robert Ndoudi (1973–1974)
- Cicerone Manolache (1974–1976)
- Zoran Ristić (1984)
- Yvon Goujon (1986–1987)
- Noël Minga (1992–1993)
- David Mémy (1997–1998)
- Alain Nestor Ngouinda (1998–1999)
- David Mémy (1999–2000)
- Camille Ngakosso (2000)
- Gaston Tchangana (2001)
- Noël Minga (2001)
- Eugen Moldovan (2001–2002)
- Alain Nestor Ngouinda (2002)
- Claude Andrey (2002–2003)
- Tahseen Jabbary (2002–2003)
- Jean-Paul Bernard (2003)
- Michel Hidalgo (2004)
- Christian Létard (2004–2005)
- Gaston Tchangana (2005–2006)
- Noël Tosi (2006–2007)
- Gaston Tchangana (2007–2008)
- Ivica Todorov (2008–2010)
- Robert Corfou (2010–2011)
- Camille Ngakosso (2011)
- Jean-Guy Wallemme (2011–2012)
- Kamel Djabour (2012–13)
- Claude Le Roy (2013–15)
- Pierre Lechantre (2016)
- Barthélémy Ngatsono (2016–17)
- Sébastien Migné (2017–18)
- Valdo Filho (2018–2021)
- Paul Put (2021–2023)
- Isaac Ngata (2023-present)
Players
Current squad
The following players were called-up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Niger and Morocco on 6 and 11 June 2024 respectively.[5]
Caps and goals are correct as of 12 June 2024, after the match against Morocco.[6]
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Owen-Césaire Matimbou | 19 June 2002 | 2 | 0 | Orleans | |
| GK | Trey Vimalin | 28 January 2001 | 1 | 0 | Fleury 91 | |
| GK | Melvin Douniama | 26 February 2003 | 0 | 0 | Paris FC Youth | |
| GK | Cristophe Wamba | 16 September 2003 | 0 | 0 | Unknown | |
| DF | Ravy Tsouka | 23 December 1994 | 20 | 0 | AEL Limassol | |
| DF | Yhoan Andzouana | 13 December 1996 | 10 | 0 | DAC Dunajská Streda | |
| DF | Bryan Passi | 5 August 1997 | 6 | 0 | Hapoel Tel Aviv | |
| DF | Vladis-Emmerson Illoy-Ayyet | 7 October 1995 | 3 | 1 | Ural Yekaterinburg | |
| DF | Christ Makosso | 9 May 2004 | 2 | 0 | Sochaux | |
| DF | Loick Ayina | 20 April 2003 | 0 | 0 | Ross County | |
| DF | Mark Mampassi | 12 March 2003 | 0 | 0 | K.V. Kortrijk | |
| MF | Durel Avounou | 25 September 1997 | 23 | 0 | CFR Cluj | |
| MF | Gaius Makouta | 25 July 1997 | 20 | 2 | Boavista | |
| MF | Antoine Makoumbou | 18 July 1998 | 17 | 1 | Cagliari | |
| MF | Chandrel Massanga | 17 August 1999 | 10 | 0 | Hatayspor | |
| MF | Fred Dembi | 21 February 1995 | 8 | 1 | Red Star | |
| MF | Tsomou Likibi | 24 January 1987 | 2 | 1 | Unknown | |
| MF | Will Hondermarck | 21 November 2000 | 1 | 0 | Northampton Town | |
| MF | Raviere Otanga | 14 August 2000 | 1 | 0 | Hearts of Oak | |
| MF | Rabby Nzingoula | 25 November 2005 | 0 | 0 | Strasbourg | |
| FW | Silvère Ganvoula | 29 June 1996 | 18 | 6 | Young Boys | |
| FW | Mons Bassouamina | 28 May 1998 | 7 | 1 | Pau | |
| FW | Jason Bahamboula | 15 June 2001 | 1 | 0 | Valmiera | |
| FW | Archange Bintsouka | 25 October 2002 | 1 | 0 | Partizani | |
| FW | Alain Ipiélé | 20 August 1997 | 1 | 0 | Martigues | |
| FW | Inno Loemba | 4 August 2004 | 1 | 0 | Otoho | |
| FW | Christopher Ibayi | 18 July 1995 | 0 | 0 | Rouen | |
Recent call-ups
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 | Wolfrigon Mongondza | 8 April 1990 | 3 | 0 | Diables Noirs | v. Zambia, 17 November 2023 |
| GK | Pavelh Ndzila | 12 January 1995 | 19 | 0 | APR | v. Gambia, 10 September 2023 |
| GK | Giscard Mavoungou | 30 November 1999 | 0 | 0 | Otôho | v. Gambia, 10 September 2023 |
| DF | Erving Botaka | 5 November 1998 | 0 | 0 | Arsenal Tula | v. Gabon, 26 March 2024 |
| DF | Brayann Pereira | 21 May 2003 | 0 | 0 | NEC | v. Gabon, 26 March 2024 |
| DF | Julfin Ondongo | 28 March 1997 | 11 | 0 | Almurooj | v. Zambia, 17 November 2023 |
| DF | Bradley Mazikou | 2 June 1996 | 9 | 0 | Servette | v. Zambia, 17 November 2023 |
| DF | Morgan Poaty | 15 July 1997 | 5 | 0 | Lausanne-Sport | v. Zambia, 17 November 2023 |
| DF | Ryan Bidounga | 29 April 1997 | 6 | 0 | FC CSKA 1948 Sofia | v. Gambia, 10 September 2023 |
| DF | Francis Nzaba | 17 July 2002 | 3 | 0 | Gençlerbirliği | v. Gambia, 10 September 2023 |
| DF | Faria Jobel Ondongo | 19 June 1996 | 3 | 0 | Otôho | v. Gambia, 10 September 2023 |
| DF | Messie Biatoumoussoka | 5 June 1998 | 2 | 0 | AS FAR | v. Gambia, 10 September 2023 |
| MF | Dylan Bahamboula | 22 May 1995 | 12 | 0 | Busaiteen Club | v. Gabon, 26 March 2024 |
| MF | Prestige Mboungou | 10 July 2000 | 25 | 2 | Ajman | v. Zambia, 17 November 2023 |
| MF | Thievy Bifouma | 13 May 1992 | 41 | 16 | A.E. Kifisia | v. Zambia, 17 November 2023 INJ |
| MF | Merveil Ndockyt | 20 July 1998 | 21 | 1 | HNK Gorica | v. Zambia, 17 November 2023 INJ |
| MF | Harvy Ossété | 18 August 1999 | 28 | 0 | Saint-Éloi | v. Gambia, 10 September 2023 |
| MF | Warren Tchimbembé | 21 April 1998 | 2 | 0 | Metz B | v. Gambia, 10 September 2023 |
| FW | Gabriel Charpentier | 17 May 1999 | 3 | 1 | Parma | v. Gabon, 26 March 2024 |
| FW | Domi Massoumou | 4 June 2003 | 1 | 0 | Diables Noirs | v. Zambia, 17 November 2023 |
| FW | Béni Makouana | 28 September 1999 | 13 | 0 | Polissya Zhytomyr | v. Zambia, 17 November 2023 INJ |
| FW | Guy Mbenza | 1 April 2000 | 21 | 5 | Muaither SC | v. Gambia, 10 September 2023 |
| FW | Mavis Tchibota | 7 May 1996 | 10 | 0 | Hapoel Tel Aviv | v. Gambia, 10 September 2023 |
| ||||||
Records
- As of 17 November 2023[7]
- Players in bold are still active with Congo.
Most 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–present |
| Francis N'Ganga | 41 | 3 | 2008–2017 | |
| 10 | Brice Samba | 38 | 0 | 1990–2001 |
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thievy Bifouma | 16 | 41 | 0.39 | 2014–present |
| 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–present |
| Silvère Ganvoula | 5 | 20 | 0.25 | 2014–present | |
| Guy Mbenza | 5 | 21 | 0.24 | 2017–present | |
| Hardy Binguila | 5 | 25 | 0.2 | 2013–present | |
| Rolf-Christel Guié-Mien | 5 | 25 | 0.2 | 1996–2008 | |
| Fabrice Ondama | 5 | 37 | 0.14 | 2006–2017 | |
Competition records
FIFA World Cup record
| FIFA World Cup | Qualification | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |||||||||||||||
| 1962 | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | |||||||||||||
| 1966 | Entry not accepted by FIFA | Entry not accepted by FIFA | |||||||||||||
| as People's Republic of the Congo | |||||||||||||||
| 1970 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||
| 1974 | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1978 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 5 | |||||||||
| 1982 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||
| 1986 | |||||||||||||||
| 1990 | |||||||||||||||
| as Republic of the Congo | |||||||||||||||
| 1994 | Did not qualify | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | ||||||||
| 1998 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 6 | |||||||||
| 2002 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 17 | |||||||||
| 2006 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 15 | |||||||||
| 2010 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 8 | |||||||||
| 2014 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 4 | |||||||||
| 2018 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 16 | |||||||||
| 2022 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 10 | |||||||||
| 2026 | To be determined | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | ||||||||
| 2030 | To be determined | ||||||||||||||
| 2034 | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 0/15 | 70 | 21 | 16 | 33 | 81 | 98 | ||||||||
Africa Cup of Nations record
| Africa Cup of Nations record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 1957 | Part of France | |||||||
| 1959 | ||||||||
| Played as Congo-Brazzaville | ||||||||
| 1962 | Not affiliated to CAF | |||||||
| 1963 | ||||||||
| 1965 | ||||||||
| 1968 | Group stage | 7th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| Played as People's Republic of the Congo | ||||||||
| 1970 | did not enter | |||||||
| 1972 | Winners | 1st | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 5 |
| 1974 | Fourth place | 4th | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 10 |
| 1976 | did not qualify | |||||||
| 1978 | Group stage | 7th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 1980 | did not qualify | |||||||
| 1982 | ||||||||
| 1984 | ||||||||
| 1986 | ||||||||
| 1988 | ||||||||
| 1990 | did not enter | |||||||
| Played as Republic of the Congo | ||||||||
| 1992 | Quarter-finals | 5th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1994 | did not qualify | |||||||
| 1996 | ||||||||
| 1998 | ||||||||
| 2000 | Group stage | 11th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2002 | did not qualify | |||||||
| 2004 | ||||||||
| 2006 | ||||||||
| 2008 | ||||||||
| 2010 | ||||||||
| 2012 | ||||||||
| 2013 | ||||||||
| 2015 | Quarter-finals | 5th | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| 2017 | did not qualify | |||||||
| 2019 | ||||||||
| 2021 | ||||||||
| 2023 | ||||||||
| 2025 | to be determined | |||||||
| 2027 | ||||||||
| Total | 1 Title | 7/34 | 26 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 27 | 37 |
African Games
| African Games record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | M | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1965 | Gold | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 5 | |
| 1973 | 6th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | |
| Total | 2/4 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 13 | |
Achievements
- Africa Cup of Nations
- Winners: 1972
- Football at the African Games
- Gold medalists: 1965
- CEMAC Cup:
- Winners: 2007
- UDEAC Championship:
- Winners: 1990
Notes
- Congo refused to travel for their home matches on 6 and 11 June, insisting that they be played in Brazzaville.[4]
References
- "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 20 June 2024. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- "World Football Elo Ratings". www.eloratings.net. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- "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.
- Al Nassim, Hommam (5 June 2024). "Congo withdraws from its match with Niger in World Cup qualifiers". Northern Africa News. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- "Congo : la liste contre le Maroc dévoilée… avec un nouveau de L1 !". afrik-foot.com. Archived from the original on 2024-05-22. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
- https://it.soccerway.com/matches/2024/06/11/africa/wc-qualifying-africa/congo/morocco/4236886/
- Mamrud, Roberto. "Congo-Brazzaville – Record International Players". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2018.