TotalEnergies CAF Women’s AFCON 2024: Democratic Republic of Congo Team Profile
How the team qualified
The DR Congo secured their spot by eliminating Equatorial Guinea in the second round of qualifiers. After a 1–1 draw in the first leg in Malabo, the Leopards sealed their qualification with a 2–1 win in the return leg in Kinshasa, booking their ticket to Morocco.
TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON history
This will be DR Congo’s third appearance at the CAF TotalEnergies Women’s AFCON finals, following previous editions in 1998 and 2006. Their best performance came in 1998, when they claimed third place.
Players to watch
Merveille Kanjinga
Nicknamed “The Cyborg,” the Congolese striker is a new signing for Paris Saint-Germain and has emerged as one of the most promising talents on the continent. Trained at TP Mazembe, she impresses with her power, speed, and ability to make penetrating runs. Dangerous in one-on-one situations, she combines explosiveness with composure in front of goal. Her 2025 move to PSG confirms her rapid rise and establishes her as one of DR Congo’s standout stars for this tournament.
Fideline Ngoy
Goalkeeper for Tout Puissant Mazembe, she brings strength and calmness to the Congolese defence. Her positioning, game reading, and top-level experience with one of the country’s most structured clubs make her a key figure in the squad for this TotalEnergies WAFCON.
The Head Coach: Herve Happy
Originally from Cameroon, Hervé Happy is an experienced technician. He is currently serving as a technical advisor for the French Football Federation, assigned to the Paris League. A former player who came through the youth academy at Toulouse, he later played in the National league. He also worked as a physical education teacher in the French Caribbean. His coaching career spans over fifteen years, particularly in sports-study programs and as head coach of senior teams that participated in the Concacaf U15 and U20 competitions. He has also worked with the scouting departments of Olympique de Marseille and Montpellier in France. Having been with the FFF for ten years, Hervé Happy is now tasked with revitalising the Congolese women’s national team, which is returning to the TotalEnergeis CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after missing several editions.
Ambitions and Group Analysis
Placed in Group A alongside Morocco, Senegal, and Zambia, DR Congo head into this AFCON aiming to finally progress beyond the group stage. In such a highly competitive group, the Leopards will need strong defensive structure, clinical finishing, and true team cohesion to stand a chance of causing an upset. Under the leadership of Boumehdi, the team dreams of recapturing the form that earned them bronze in 1998 and rejoining the elite nations of African women’s football.