Football is the most popular sport played in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The national football team has won the African Cup of Nations twice: in 1968 and 1974 under the nations' former name Zaire.[1] The national team qualified for the World Cup in 1974, their only appearance in that tournament.[2][3]
In international competitions, DR Congo has only qualified for three FIFA tournaments, the 1974 FIFA World Cup for the senior men's side, and the 2006 and 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cups, achieved by the U-20 women's side.
Van Peel, Bénédict (2001). "Aux débuts du football congolais". In Vellut, Jean-Luc (ed.). Itinéraires croisés de la modernité : Congo belge, 1920-1950. Tervuren: Cahiers Africains. pp. 141–188. ISBN2747505766.