How Congo danced into World Cup round of 32 after beating Uzbekistan

ATLANTA ― Congo threw a World Cup party at Mercedes-Benz on Saturday. The invitation was 52 years in the making.

The typical confetti for such an occasion was replaced by pinnies joyfully thrown into the air when the final whistle sounded. There was also dancing ― well, rather impressive bum scooting for one Congo staffer ― on the pitch and in the stands after Les Léopards beat Uzbekistan 3-1.

The victory, Congo's first ever at the World Cup after two appearances (1974, 2026), secured the best possible gift for an entire nation: a date with England in the round of 32 for the first time.

The win came after a stunning 1-1 draw against Portugal, a 1-0 loss to Colombia, and what felt like an insurmountable 1-0 Uzbekistan lead in the first half, until daylight broke through at the 68th minute. Yoane Wissa wound up, ran forward and impeccably stumbled into a penalty kick equalizer.

"That showed that nothing is easy in football, in life, and we just need to show resilience. And when the time like this comes, we have to enjoy (it). You have to enjoy because it's not easy," Wissa said postgame.

Enjoy is exactly what Congo and their fans did.

Wissa's 68th-minute goal ignited the stadium and unleashed fervent "Let's go, Congo!" chants as the team's fans released exuberant cheers and audible groans after watching Congo miss chance after chance to add more goals to the scoreboard.

Les Léopards had 19 attempts on goal; just a measly four were on target. Every time a Congolese player got remarkably close to scoring, the balls sailed wide, went into the stands or just flat out disappeared into an abyss of what could have been. Congo also completed a blistering 81% of its passes (411/506), but it simply couldn't get out of its own way.

There were three yellow cards handed out to Samuel Moutoussamy (62nd minute), Nathanael Mbuku (45th minute + 4) and Noah Sadiki (21st minute). Not to mention, Congo was offside three times during the match. Oof. Still, Les Léopards managed to sort through the mess with a timely ― perhaps even lucky ― Fiston Mayele strike in the 78th minute that deflected off his right foot and ruthlessly into the net.

"I think that today we showed the world that the Congo DR has some very good players," Mayele said post-match. "It wasn’t our first victory in the World Cup. Our goal ― we told ourselves that the first game we got a point. So, (in) the third match, we wanted to take the three points so we could qualify. Today, we are very happy with our qualification."

The cheering got louder after Mayele's goal, which was momentarily enough to send Congo into the knockout rounds. Fans started waving Congo flags, chanting and dancing, and living and dying on every missed opportunity that Congo had over the next 13 minutes. Every potential strike was palpable agony for a nation and its supporters, who could taste their long-awaited proverbial World Cup victory cake.

Then, Wissa lit the candles on the celebratory cake with a back-breaking insurance goal in the 90th minute +1, securing his brace and Congo's date with England on Wednesday, July 1 (12:00 p.m ET, FOX). When the final whistle blew, the Congolese national team rushed the field and fell to their knees in celebration as Uzbekistan, which was also on its knees, grappled with its World Cup journey ending. In the stands, a sea of light blue bounced up and down freely, giddily and unabashedly proud.

"Everywhere we go, there (are) Congolese (people). We are are a proud country. We have proud people. We love our country. We love our national team. We love what we present. So, I think tonight we just showed that what it means for us is just to fight no matter what," Wissa said.

"For (our fans), I just say thank you. Thank you because we came from far ... from nothing to be here. Now we write our story with a black pen. We need to be proud."

"It’s a very historical moment for our country. It’s really the first victory and the first qualification," Mayele said. "So today, everyone should be celebrating all over the country. Everyone is happy for us, and everyone is proud to be Congolese."

On Wednesday, the Congo national team takes on Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and England. Wissa admits it will be a difficult game. England hasn't lost any of its matches in World Cup play and cruised into the round of 32 with a 2-0 win over Panama.

Congo cannot play the way it did against Uzbekistan. And half-time adjustments, like the ones it made against the White Wolves, may not be enough if Les Léopards start slow. However, Wissa knows Congo earned its spot to play against the No. 4 FIFA-ranked team.

"It's gonna be a different game, a tough, tough game against a top player, top opponent. We need to enjoy this kind of game," Wissa said. We deserve to play against England, one of the best in the world."

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