2026 World Cup: The little-known story of Yoane Wissa, the scorer of DR Congo's goal against Portugal

Many people are unaware that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was the first nation from sub-Saharan Africa to participate in a World Cup. That was in 1974. Even though their performance was less than stellar, culminating in a humiliating 9-0 defeat against Yugoslavia, the Zaire of that era had the distinction of representing sub-Saharan Africa in such a prestigious competition as the World Cup.

This year, the Leopards have made their comeback, and the least we can say is that they present a better face than their elders of 1974.

A childhood dream

Yoane Wissa's team held Portugal to a draw yesterday, Wednesday (1-1).

The start of the match was rather difficult for the Congolese, who conceded an early goal from Joao Neves in the 6th minute. It wasn't until the final seconds of the first half that the Leopards equalized.

From a cross by Arthur Masuaku, Yoane Wissa rose high to head the ball into the back of the Portuguese goalkeeper's net. The Newcastle striker thus scored his country's first-ever World Cup goal, in front of his president, Félix Tshisekedi, who was there to watch the match.

For Yoane Wissa it was a childhood dream, he who had carried this DRC team in his heart since his young age.

At 16, he contacted the Congolese Football Federation via Facebook.

Indeed, many are unaware that in 2013, while playing for the youth teams at Châteauroux, Yoane Wissa had already contacted the Congolese Football Federation via a Facebook profile, expressing his desire to join the Leopards national team. He received no response. It wasn't until 2020 that the Congolese Football Federation finally summoned him.

In the meantime, the player had become an established professional, having honed his skills at Angers, Laval, Ajaccio, Lorient, and Brentford. It's wonderful to know he's thriving at this team, the one he's always dreamed of playing for.