Democratic Republic of Congo is keeping a close eye on Jamaica ahead of a potential meeting in the FIFA World Cup 2026 play-off tournament. The Reggae Boyz, ranked 70th in the world, will face New Caledonia in a one-off match, with the winner set to meet Congo, ranked 48th.

Former Congo defender Gabriel Zakuani, now assistant manager of the under-20 side, team consultant, and
British Broadcasting Corporation broadcaster, has been following Jamaica’s journey closely. The Boyz reached this play-off after missing automatic qualification, finishing second to Curacao in Group B of Concacaf qualifiers, and have since undergone a managerial change with interim coach, Rudolph Speid taking over.

That failure to secure direct qualification sparked public backlash in Jamaica, particularly as Group B was widely viewed as the easiest of the three in the region. The absence of traditional powerhouses USA, Mexico and Canada, all already qualified as 2026 World Cup hosts, only heightened expectations that Jamaica should have advanced automatically.

Zakuani is aware of the turbulence surrounding the team’s campaign and the pressure now on the current group.

“I kept a very close eye on it and it’s not been very easy for them,” he told the Jamaica Observer. “They went through some games that they should’ve won but didn’t. It was tricky; the managerial change, it’s been a lot. They’ve gone through a very, very tough time but they want the public on side. I’m sure they want the country back on [their] side, and the World Cup would bring the country together.

“That’s the same thing with the Congo national team. I’d say we’ve had a smoother ride — we played above our expectation, we kept the same squad throughout, the manager’s got a good reputation — but that could work in Jamaica’s favour, the fact that they stuck together through such a difficult period.”

For Congo, however, the focus is less on Jamaica’s struggles and more on the threat they pose.

“I think on paper, I’m more concerned about Jamaica,” Zakuani said. “I’d have to say that because I know a lot of the Jamaican squad. A lot of them play in England, so I am very aware of these players.

“With New Caledonia, we’ve had to do the scouting so it’s been harder to scout them because we’re not really aware of a lot of their players. They’re an unknown quantity. That is the danger, that you can’t really prepare for a team like that.

“With Jamaica we can prepare a bit better because we know what to expect but with New Caledonia, I am worried slightly because it’s hard to scout them and it’s hard to know who their star player is. But I think Jamaica is the stronger team and they will give us the tougher match — but New Caledonia have gotten this far so they must have something about them.”

Congo’s stakes are high. The team has only ever qualified for one World Cup, appearing as Zaire in 1974. That was 17 years before the eldest member of the current squad, 34-year-old Cedric Bakambu, was born, making 2026 a particularly significant opportunity.

“It is the players’ parents who remember ‘74,” Zakuani said. “The players don’t remember anything, so it will be fresh, but we have big players now, playing all across Europe. When you look back at ‘74, a lot of these players were playing in Congo and in Africa, so it’s completely different now. Now, we have genuine world talent.

“We have Yoane Wissa, who was one of the top scorers in the premier league, so it’s not just local players. The World Cup is a stage for them but as a nation, it’s something we haven’t experienced in a very long time and in our lifetime. I haven’t experienced it in my lifetime and the players haven’t experienced it in their lifetime so it is something that we talk about.”

Zakuani also described Congo’s playing style.

“I would say it’s in your face,” he said. “We press very well and we work hard. It’s a team game, unlike Congo in the past where we’ve had one or two superstars in the team and who we play and give the ball to -– we’ve had [Lomana] Lua Lua in the past, players with a lot of skill. — but I think now it’s more of a team game. Everyone puts in the hard work together as a team. We attack as a team, we press as a team, we’re very good at set pieces. We’ve got Chancel Mbemba at the back who’s very good at set pieces, scoring headers and goals from the back. We’re a very organised side with a lot of workrate — and it’s completely as a team. You can see the structure as a team pressing together.”

The journey to Mexico poses logistical challenges, but Congo is prepared.

“For us, it’s something that we’d rather not [have to deal with],” Zakuani said with a chuckle. “We’d rather it, obviously, be closer to Africa so [that] it’s not such a long journey but look, these are professional footballers. They prepare, and they do a lot of travelling with their clubs, playing European competitions, so this is something that they should get used to. But what we’ve done with the team is they will travel early enough to get used to the conditions, the weather, and to get used to the time zone as well. The minute we booked our tickets to this game we already thought about this a long time ago, so we are very prepared for it.”

Congo is also familiar with Jamaican culture.

“I grew up mainly in the UK but every time I do go to Congo and hit the clubs, we do hear Vybz Kartel, Mavado,” Zakuani said cheerily. “They’re playing this music so we are very aware of Jamaican culture; it’s all over the world, Jamaican culture. We know about Vybz Kartel, Movado, Popcaan in Congo. It’s very common.”

Even Jamaica’s interim coach, Rudolph Speid, has been studied.

“He’s an unknown quantity for us but international football is not like club football where the coach is with them everyday,” Zakuani said. “The players travel on the international weekends and they train together for a couple of days, they play a match, and they fly back to their clubs so I don’t think it’s going to have too much influence, what he does, but it’s a match that you don’t need a team talk to get up for. It’s the World Cup! But, it’s got to be respected that he’s there and I’m pretty sure there’ll be a bit more research put into him. But we’ve watched a lot of videos, and I’m not sure but I think we had someone come to a game. But what they’ve done is send everyone at their clubs clips of the last two Jamaica games so all the players have been watching these games and keeping a close eye on things. But this is a one-off game. It’s a cup final for the World Cup so everything goes out the window. It’s whoever wants it more that will win this game.”

Jamaica faces New Caledonia in Guadalajara on Thursday, with the winner meeting DR Congo at the same venue the following Tuesday.

DR Congo defender Chancel Mbemba (centre) celebrates with teammates after scoring his team’s first goal during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2024 quarter-final football match against Guinea at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on February 2, 2024. AFP