The Democratic Republic of Congo have qualified for the World Cup with a 1-0 win over Jamaica after extra time at the Guadalajara stadium in Mexico in the early hours of Wednesday.
Axel TUanzebe scored the only goal of the match in the first half of extra time to send Congo DR back to the World Cup for the first time since 1974 when it competed as Zaire.
The Leopards are also the 10th African nation that will be present at the 48-team expanded tournament to be co-hosted by USA, Canada, and Mexico.
Congo DR dominated the match and star striker Cedric Bakambu had two goals correctly ruled out for offside, as Jamaica, seeking a return to the world stage for the first time since 1998, held on to dear life to force extra-time.
It was Congo DR that found the breakthrough in the 100th minute from a corner kick. The cross was deflected into the path of Tuanzebe who used his body to bundle the ball into the net.
The Burnia-born defender who has represented England at youth levels before switching allegiance to his native country in 2024, scored his first ever goal for DR Congo for a historic return to the World Cup.
DR Congo will slot into Group K at the World Cup where they will face Portugal in their opening match in Houston on June 17, before slugging it out against Colombia and Uzbekistan.