Cédric Bakambu has said DR Congo’s qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup should mark more than a historic sporting return, urging the country to treat the achievement as the start of a broader national project after the Leopards booked their place with a playoff win over Jamaica. The striker’s message came as the team returned to Kinshasa for celebrations following the result .

In a message shared after the team’s homecoming, Bakambu said the moment should become “the beginning of a new era,” linking the World Cup qualification to the need for stronger youth support, modern sports infrastructure and greater national unity.

He also referenced the suffering in eastern DR Congo, saying the team carries the hopes of people living through years of conflict. Those remarks gave the celebrations a wider meaning beyond football, framing qualification as a moment of collective purpose rather than a one-off triumph.

DR Congo sealed its place at the 2026 tournament with a 1-0 extra-time victory over Jamaica in Guadalajara, with Axel Tuanzebe scoring the decisive goal. Multiple reports confirmed it is the country’s first World Cup qualification in 52 years, dating back to the 1974 finals when the nation competed as Zaire.

The team then returned to a jubilant reception in Kinshasa, where thousands of supporters lined the streets to celebrate the achievement. According to the main source, President Félix Tshisekedi welcomed the squad and awarded players cars, houses and a special bonus, underscoring how politically and symbolically significant the qualification has become inside the country. That scale of reward, however, was not independently confirmed in the additional sources reviewed.

For DR Congo, the playoff win has already become more than a football story. It has offered a rare unifying national moment and now, as Bakambu argued, raised expectations that the breakthrough can be turned into lasting progress for the sport and for the country’s next generation.