DR Congo women prepare for their Côte d’Ivoire double-header

DR Congo have named their squad for the start of women’s Olympic qualifying for Los Angeles 2028. On September 30, FECOFA announced 23 players called up to face Côte d’Ivoire in the first round. The two-legged tie will begin in Lubumbashi before moving to Abidjan.

The first leg is scheduled for Friday, October 9, 2026, at 15:30 at TP Mazembe Stadium. The return is set for Tuesday, October 13, at 19:00 at Félix-Houphouët-Boigny Stadium. That puts the home fixture before the trip to Côte d’Ivoire: both matches are still to be played as of the announcement date.

The official list groups the call-ups into three goalkeepers, six defenders, seven midfielders and seven forwards. All three goalkeepers are listed with Congolese clubs: R. Khonde with TP Mazembe, E. Nyota with FC Lupopo and Akello with Ituri FC.

Mazembe also have players in other parts of the squad. M. Kasaj and F. Pambani appear among the midfielders, while W. Makasi is listed as a forward. Those four call-ups, including Khonde, give the club a presence in goal, midfield and attack rather than concentrating its representation in a single section of the team.

The selection also includes players listed with overseas affiliations. Emma Prevost appears among the defenders with a French club; midfielders E. Siluvangi and E. Buabadi are associated with OGC Nice and FC Nantes respectively. Among the forwards, G. Mabomba is listed with AJ Auxerre and A. Soulac with FC Metz.

Overall, the published affiliations place seven players in DR Congo and sixteen overseas, across eight countries: France, Zambia, China, Türkiye, Cambodia, Morocco, Spain and Italy. This snapshot describes the announced squad, not a starting eleven. The next fixture set out by the federation is the October 9 first leg in Lubumbashi.