DR Congo are preparing to widen their squad after their historic 2026 World Cup campaign, with Stephy Mavididi and Monaco winger Stanis Idumbo among 12 dual nationals reportedly included in Sebastien Desabre’s expanded selection plans.
The Leopards reached the knockout stage of a World Cup for the first time in their history. Before the tournament, however, Desabre had already indicated that the period afterwards would be used to refresh and broaden his squad.
According to Leopardsfoot, as many as 12 new players could feature in the expanded DR Congo list for the first international window following the World Cup. The number would represent a significant recruitment drive for a coach known for taking a cautious, long-term approach to team building.
DR Congo are scheduled to host Equatorial Guinea on 24 September before travelling to South Africa to face Zimbabwe four days later. They will then play two friendlies against Uganda in South Africa at the start of October.
Several of the expected additions have already expressed a desire to represent DR Congo. Kevin Pedro of Saint-Etienne, Jordy Makengo of Freiburg, Willy Kambwala of Como, Noah Mbamba of Lorient and Ezechiel Banzuzi of Leipzig are all expected to make their first appearances in the squad.
The move would allow the federation to secure the international futures of several young players with considerable potential. Afimico Pululu is also expected to return to the national team. The forward, now with Al-Hazem, previously impressed with his goalscoring record in Poland and will have another opportunity to win Desabre’s approval.
The most notable developments concern players who have not previously been closely associated with the Leopards. Idumbo has started every match for Monaco this season and was still part of Belgium’s Under-21 set-up as recently as March. He is reportedly among the players who have been shortlisted.
Attacking midfielder Junior Kadile is also included after a strong season and a loan move to Lens from Servette.
Mavididi’s possible involvement is likely to attract particular attention. The Watford forward, who is 28, had spent a long period hoping to represent England. His decision to join DR Congo at this stage could therefore be viewed as a late change of direction.
Norwich forward Anthony Musaba has also kept his international options open, including with the Netherlands, where he grew up. Both players are initially expected to be introduced during the friendly matches against Uganda.
Jorthy Mokio, one of Ajax’s highly rated young prospects, is another player involved. The Belgian-Congolese defender has chosen DR Congo but is not yet believed to be eligible for an official international match, meaning his first appearances could come in the friendlies.
The reported names still need to be confirmed when the squad is announced, and not every player listed in the preliminary selection will necessarily receive a call-up. Nevertheless, the direction of travel is clear: after guiding DR Congo to the World Cup and their best-ever performance there, Desabre is now preparing the second generation of his Leopards project.