DR Congo — Zimbabwe

DR Congo and Zimbabwe meet twice in Group E of qualifying, home and away.

FIFA ranking: #41 · AFCON titles: 2

Head coach: Sébastien Desabre

FIFA ranking: #130 · AFCON titles: 0

Head coach: Kaitano Tembo

On ranking alone DR Congo start ahead, 41 to 130.

Previous meetings

Zimbabwe lead the head-to-head, 1 wins to 0 from 2 meetings, with 1 drawn.

Meetings2
DR Congo0
Zimbabwe1
Draws1

Last meeting: March 24, 2019, DR Congo 0–2 Zimbabwe (Africa Cup of Nations).

Source: API-Football

Both legs

Matchday Home Away Match window Kick-off
2 Zimbabwe DR Congo September 21 – October 6, 2026 to be confirmed
6 DR Congo Zimbabwe March 22 – March 30, 2027 to be confirmed

Kick-off times are shown as to be confirmed because CAF has published windows, not individual dates.

Where these teams are shown

CountryWhere to watchStatus
DR CongoRTNCFree to air Held rights for the 2023 edition
DR CongoCanal+ AfriqueSubscription Held rights for the 2025 edition
ZimbabweAzam TVSubscription Held rights for the 2025 edition

The rights column states which edition each broadcaster is confirmed for, not which one it is assumed to carry.

The group context

Both sides play six qualifiers in Group E. How many go through has not been announced.

Group E →

Common questions

When do DR Congo and Zimbabwe play?
Two matches, on matchdays 2 and 6, inside the September 21 – October 6, 2026 and March 22 – March 30, 2027 windows. CAF has published the pairings and the windows but not the dates or kick-off times: those are agreed federation by federation a few weeks before each window. We show them as to be confirmed rather than invent them.
What is the head-to-head record between DR Congo and Zimbabwe?
They have met 2 time(s) in the records we hold. Zimbabwe lead 1–0 with 1 drawn, the last on March 24, 2019. Those meetings came in earlier qualifying campaigns and friendlies, not in this cycle, so they carry no weight in the group table.
Which side is stronger on paper?
DR Congo is the higher-ranked side, at #41 against #130 — a gap of 89 places on the FIFA list published on July 20, 2026. Over six qualifying matches that gap matters less than it looks: home advantage, travel and squad availability during international windows decide more African qualifiers than ranking does.
Where can I watch DR Congo vs Zimbabwe?
Broadcasters listed for both countries are shown above, each labelled with the edition it is confirmed for. Rights to the 2027 finals are still almost entirely unsold, so a channel marked for the qualifiers or for 2025 tells you nothing about 2027. We label rather than assume.