The Democratic Republic of Congo’s national football team landed at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston on June 11-12, stepping off the plane in coordinated tuxedo suits featuring leopard-print designs.

The Leopards haven’t played a World Cup match since 1974. That’s 52 years between appearances. Their arrival was met by a wave of Congolese diaspora members who turned the airport terminal into something closer to a homecoming parade than an international arrivals hall.

A road to Houston that went through an Ebola quarantine

DR Congo’s original plan called for a training camp in Kinshasa, the nation’s capital, complete with fan events designed to build momentum before the tournament. An Ebola outbreak forced the team to scrap all of it.

Instead, the Leopards relocated their entire pre-tournament preparation to Belgium, where they underwent a mandated 21-day isolation period. Training sessions, tactical work, team bonding: all of it happened under quarantine conditions in Europe rather than in front of home supporters in Kinshasa.

How they got here: qualification and the Jamaica playoff

The Leopards’ path to Houston started in CAF’s qualifying rounds, where they finished as Group B runners-up. That earned them a spot in the intercontinental playoffs, where they drew Jamaica and won, punching their ticket to the tournament. Coach Sebastien Desabre guided the campaign.

Desabre’s squad now faces a Group K draw that includes Portugal, Colombia, and Uzbekistan. The opening match against Portugal is scheduled for June 17 at Houston Stadium.

Houston as home base

The team will use SaberCats Stadium in Houston as their training facility for the group stage. Fans draped in DRC flags greeted the squad as they emerged in those leopard-print tuxedos, a nod to both the team’s nickname and Congolese fashion traditions that treat formal wear as an art form.

For African football, the Leopards’ return adds depth to a continent that’s pushing for greater representation on the world stage. The expanded 48-team format for 2026 opened more qualifying slots, and DR Congo is proof that the wider net is catching teams with real histories and passionate fanbases.