D.R. Congo announce squad for World Cup with veteran Gael Kakuta included

D.R. Congo announce squad for World Cup with veteran Gael Kakuta included
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Kakuta who will turn 35 during next months finals in Canada Mexico and the USA has played only twice in the last two years for the Congolese. He was brought in as an injury replacement at the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco at the start of the year.

However he was omitted in March when the Congolese became the tenth African country to qualify for the 2026 finals by beating Jamaica in an inter confederation playoff in Mexico. This suggested his international career might be finished.

Kakuta is a former Chelsea prodigy whose signing as a teenager from France was surrounded by controversy. He never achieved the expected success at Stamford Bridge and has since played for fifteen clubs in nine different countries.

For the remaining players Desabre retained the side that finished fourth at the 2023 Cup of Nations and reached the last sixteen in Morocco.

The squad has picked itself because we have all been together now for some four years. The World Cup is no forum for experimenting or development he said on Monday.

D.R. Congo will compete in Group K at the finals where they take on Portugal Colombia and Uzbekistan.

We want to play to our best level and our objective is to get past the first phase which I believe is well within our capacity Desabre added.

The country was known as Zaire when they last played at the World Cup in West Germany in 1974 losing all three games including a nine nil defeat to Yugoslavia.

D.R. Congos World Cup squad:

Goalkeepers: Matthieu Epolo (Standard Liege) Timothy Fayulu (Noah) Lionel Mpasi (Le Havre)

Defenders: Dylan Batubinsika (Larisa) Rocky Bushiri (Hibernian) Gedeon Kalulu (Aris Limassol) Steve Kapuadi (Widzew Lodz) Joris Kayembe (Racing Genk) Arthur Masuaku (Racing Lens) Chancel Mbemba (Lille) Axel Tuanzebe (Burnley) Aaron Wan Bissaka (West Ham United)

Midfielders: Theo Bongonda (Spartak Moscow) Brian Cipenga (Castellon) Elia Meshack (Alanyaspor) Gael Kakuta (Larissa) Edo Kayembe (Watford) Nathanael Mbuku (Montpellier) Samuel Moutoussamy (Atromitos) Ngalayel Mukau (Lille) Charles Pickel (Espanyol) Noah Sadiki (Sunderland)

Forwards: Cedric Bakambu (Real Betis) Simon Banza (Al Jazira) Fiston Mayele (Pyramids) Yoane Wissa (Newcastle United)