The final chance for a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 has come for African side DR Congo, Bolivia, Jamaica, Iraq, New Caledonia and Suriname.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 Play-Off Tournament begins on 26 March, and six teams, including DR Congo, will be vying for two berths to the global finals.

World Cup 2026 venues Guadalajara Stadium and Monterrey Stadium will be the setting for the matches, beginning with the semi-finals on 26 March and the finals on 31 March.

The winner of each final will progress to the global finals in June and July in North America. Here, FIFA takes a look at how DR Congo can secure a World Cup ticket.

The lone CAF side in the Play-Off Tournament will await the New Caledonia-Jamaica winner and target a World Cup return for the first time since 1974 (when they competed under the name Zaire).

DR Congo finished as one of the best four second-place finishers in CAF qualifying and then eliminated continental giants and World Cup mainstays Cameroon and Nigeria to reach the Play-Off Tournament. To ensure any rust has been knocked off before their decisive clash, DR Congo will face Bermuda in a friendly on 25 March.

Head coach Sebastien Desabre will be bringing a talent-rich squad to Mexico, including goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi, who played every minute for the Leopards at the recent Africa Cup of Nations.

Helping shield Mpasi are defensive stalwarts Chancel Mbemba and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, while a plethora of options are available in attack in the form of Fiston Mayele, Cedric Bakambu, Yoane Wissa and in-form Al Jazira forward Simon Banza.

Should DR Congo secure their spot, they will join nine other African countries at the global showpiece: South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Cape Verde.