Sébastien Desabre has named a 26-man Leopards squad to face Sierra Leone, with Cédric Bakambu (San Diego FC) returning and Timothy Fayulu (FC Sion) recalled.
DR Congo head coach Sébastien Desabre announced on Friday 6 November 2026 a 26-man squad for matchdays 3 and 4 of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Sierra Leone. The list was made public at a press conference at the FECOFA headquarters in Kinshasa, according to 7sur7.cd.
The return of striker Cédric Bakambu, who plays for San Diego FC, and the recall of goalkeeper Timothy Fayulu, of FC Sion, are the headline features of the list. The camp begins on 9 November, according to RTNC.
Bakambu and Fayulu back
Cédric Bakambu therefore returns to the Congolese squad. According to Dailysports, Noah Mbamba (Lorient) is also back after an injury.
Goalkeeper Timothy Fayulu, who has resumed training with FC Sion and is playing for the reserves, has been recalled. “Fayulu has already resumed training with FC Sion and has started playing for the reserves. Admittedly, he hasn’t played much, but we spoke at length with Kidiaba. He’s a lad who is always committed and gives everything. So we decided to recall him, especially as he is preparing for a move in the next transfer window,” Desabre told Africa Top Sports. Robert Kidiaba, DR Congo’s goalkeeping coach, was therefore involved in the decision.
Notable absentees
Aaron Wan-Bissaka is ruled out through injury, reports Dailysports. Samuel Essende, the top-scoring Congolese player abroad this season with 15 goals for Young Boys, has not been called up, according to Actualite.cd. Théo Bongonda, a usual fixture in the squad, is also absent from the list, according to the same source.
Other players are missing: Anthony Musaba, Paris Maghoma and Mario Stroeykens are not in the squad, according to Dailysports. Paris Brunner, the AS Monaco striker who is eligible for DR Congo, is also not on the list, Foot Mercato reports.
By contrast, Kévin Pedro, a defender who came through the ranks at ASSE, is included for the second time in a row after his first call-ups in October, according to ASSE.fr.
Two matches to qualify
The Leopards have won their first two matches in Group E: 2-0 against Equatorial Guinea and then 2-1 against Zimbabwe, giving them six points and first place, according to Foot-africa.com. Sierra Leone have lost their first two games and remain stuck on zero points, according to the same source.
The first leg is scheduled for Thursday 12 November at the Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa. The return leg will be played on 17 November in Casablanca, Morocco, as Sierra Leone cannot host the match for lack of an available stadium, reports 7sur7.cd.
Two wins would see DR Congo qualify for the 2027 AFCON, according to RTNC.