DR Congo bring style and pride to the World Cup after wholesome welcome

<p>Brutally tough return to tournament awaits, but the stature of opposition feels less important than the fact of being here at all</p><p>It was an arrival worth more than half a century of waiting. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) players strolled into the arrivals hall of George Bush airport on Thursday kitted out in tuxedo suits and leopard-print sashes, channelling <em>La Sape </em>vogue for snappy dress that swept Kinshasa in the 1970s. A throng of local volunteers <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DZe8MObu1jB/?hl=en">cheered them through</a> and, in a climate where little can be taken for granted, their welcome to Houston was a genuinely wholesome moment.</p><p>The DRC’s squad looked appreciative although perhaps they were simply relieved to see new faces. The joy of a first World Cup since 1974, when they competed as Zaire, has been complicated by the Ebola outbreak in their homeland and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/may/23/dcr-world-cup-squad-isolate-ebola-outbreak-congo-united-states">a 21-day isolation period</a> imposed by the US authorities. The players and staff formed a bubble in Belgium, playing one friendly against Denmark and being forced to cancel a scheduled meeting with Chile in Cádiz.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/14/dr-congo-world-cup-houston">Continue reading...</a>