Cédric Bakambu is set to lead the Democratic Republic of the Congo attack at the 2026 World Cup, and his role is built into the team’s compact 4-1-4-1. The veteran striker is usually the hard-working forward at the top of Sébastien Desabre’s system, the one tasked with stretching defences while the team keeps its shape behind him.
Bakambu said Desabre gave the Leopards “a framework”, and that is the clearest sign of where this squad now stands. The coach has turned a side that once leaned on a 4-2-3-1 into one that most commonly uses a compact 4-1-4-1, with a deep holding midfielder, two energetic No 8s and a striker expected to keep the line moving.
Desabre’s 2022 shift
Desabre took charge in 2022 and initially favoured a 4-2-3-1 before the team evolved into its current shape. That change has also given DR Congo room to switch to a back three when needed, a look used notably against Togo and South Sudan during qualifying.
The structure has carried them through the difficult parts of the campaign. DR Congo beat Cameroon late, then beat Nigeria on penalties, and finally beat Jamaica in extra time of the intercontinental playoff. Those results say more than possession numbers do: this team can survive tight knockout games and still find a way through.
Bakambu and Wissa
Bakambu is still central to that model because the attack is not built around constant pressure or a flood of chances. The side is described as defensively resilient but less dominant in attack, which puts more weight on the striker’s movement and the work done by the two No 8s around him.
Yoane Wissa is part of the broader attacking picture as well, and his missed Africa Cup of Nations after a knee injury fits the continuity-first approach around this squad. DR Congo has been built around stability, and Bakambu remains the forward most likely to carry that pattern into a World Cup group that includes Portugal on 17 June in Houston, Colombia on 23 June in Guadalajara and Uzbekistan on 27 June in Atlanta.
DR Congo’s World Cup attack
Desabre has been direct about the standards behind the setup. He said, “Discipline must begin on the pitch.” After qualification, he added, “DR Congo is a true football country” and “People love their national team and are proud of it.”
For this squad, that means Bakambu is not a decorative name on the team sheet. He is the central striker in the shape they now trust, and the team’s recent run shows the staff will keep leaning on the same framework when the World Cup begins.
