The 2026 football World Cup is almost upon us. The squads are set, the fixtures are confirmed, and the world is getting ready to watch. But before we get swept up in the tournament itself, there are some qualifying stories worth knowing — journeys so dramatic, so against the odds, that just getting here is an achievement in itself.
While the traditional giants qualified with relative comfort, two nations took routes through pure grit and last-gasp moments. This is the story of how DR Congo and Paraguay earned their place.
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DR Congo: Fifty-Two Years in the Waiting
The Democratic Republic of Congo last played in the World Cup of 1974 — and did not even compete under their current name. They were Zaire then, the first sub-Saharan African nation to ever qualify for the tournament. Fifty-two years later, the Leopards are back.
Under French coach Sébastien Desabre, DR Congo ran a 13-match qualifying marathon that required them to do everything the hard way. They finished as runners-up to Senegal in CAF Group B after an agonising campaign — they had led 2-0 at one stage but ultimately lost 3-2, which dropped them into the playoff bracket for the best second-placed African teams.
What followed was a gauntlet that few expected them to survive. DR Congo eliminated Cameroon — a nation with eight African Cup of Nations titles to their name — and then Nigeria, the Super Eagles, one of the most successful national teams in continental football this century. Both were high-stakes knockout ties. Both ended in defeat for the opponents. For most sides, eliminating either Cameroon or Nigeria in a playoff would be the story told for a generation. DR Congo did both.
Their campaign culminated on March 31, 2026, in Mexico at the FIFA Inter-Confederation Play-offs, where they faced Jamaica for the final qualifying place. With the match goalless and the clock winding down into extra time, defender Axel Tuanzebe — a Congolese-born player raised in England — scored the winner. DR Congo had done it.
Paraguay: The Last Ticket in South America
South American qualifying is the most brutal road to any World Cup. Eighteen matches against the best football nations on a single continent, with only six automatic spots available. Paraguay survived it, but only just.
La Albirroja finished sixth in the CONMEBOL standings, claiming the very last automatic qualification place for the region. Their final points tally of 28 — a record of seven wins, seven draws, and four defeats — left them deadlocked on points with Colombia, Uruguay, and Brazil in one of the closest qualifying finishes South America has ever produced. What ultimately separated Paraguay from the teams who missed out was their defence. Ten goals conceded across 18 matches. In a continent of attacks as dangerous as South America’s, that number is remarkable.
The transformation began in August 2024 when Argentine manager Gustavo Alfaro took charge and immediately made his priorities clear: defend your shape, fight for every metre, and make the Estadio Defensores del Chaco the most difficult place in South America to visit. He stripped the squad back to its identity — gritty, disciplined, almost impossible to break down — and the results followed. Under Alfaro, Paraguay beat both Brazil and Argentina at home, results that generated headlines across the continent and reminded the region that this nation, at its best, is nobody’s easy opponent.
Prepared for the World Stage
Both DR Congo and Paraguay arrive at FIFA World Cup 2026™ having earned their places in the hardest way possible — through adversity, through last-gasp moments, and through the kind of resilience that no friendly match can manufacture. The painful group stage nights, the late-night playoff drama, the near misses that could have ended it all: every one of those moments was preparation. Both squads have learned from their mistakes, absorbed every setback, and shed whatever illusions they once had about how hard this level of football is. They arrive at the greatest stage in the game fully prepared, fully tested, and ready to face whoever stands in front of them.
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