Beyond the pitch: What the World Cup comebacks of DRC, Haiti, and Iraq mean back home

Earlier this week, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s team earned their first-ever point in the World Cup after Yoane Wissa scored a goal – placing the DRC in a tie with Portugal. 

The DRC’s participation in this year’s tournament was already momentous, marking 52 years since the team (also known as the Leopards) made their last appearance at the World Cup. Making it to that moment had also been a challenge. The team and staff arrived in the United States after quarantining for three weeks in Belgium due to the current Ebola outbreak in the DRC. 

All of this made the Leopards’ moment feel even more historic. As Guardian sports editor Daniel Harris wrote: “Celebrations are glorious, feelings of love and joy zooming around the world, and what a moment this is, exactly why we’re here and one that’ll live forever.” 

The DRC’s return to the World Cup in Group K is one of several historic comebacks. Like the Leopards, Haiti’s national team (also known as the Grenadiers) are also playing for the first time since 1974, in Group C. Iraq’s Lions of Mesopotamia are also returning after a 40-year absence, playing in Group I. 

While the world is currently watching these countries through roughly 90 minutes of football at a time, each of these players also brings something more to the field, carrying the weight and spirit of three nations navigating profound challenges. 

Unsurprisingly, many of these challenges are also the reason that these teams have been absent from the World Cup squad lists for so long.

For decades, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has faced a protracted humanitarian crisis. In fact, the last time it played at the World Cup, it did so under its previous name, Zaïre. Since then, the country has weathered political instability, two civil wars, and localised conflict. 

In recent years, that conflict has escalated in the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu, Ituri, and Tanganyika. This has led to one of the world’s largest displacement crises and hunger crises, and 14.9 million Congolese requiring humanitarian aid in 2026.

» Learn more about the crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The members of the DRC’s team, whose ages range from 21 to 35, have been shaped by this crisis. Many of the Leopards were born to Congolese parents who had fled the insecurity and instability at home. Only a few began their professional careers in the DRC. But they all see this as a moment to bring a sense of unity to their fellow Congolese. 

Defender Axel Tuanzebe, who was born in Ituri’s provincial capital of Bunia at the end of the First Congo War, emigrated to England with his parents during the Second Congo War. He also scored the dramatic extra-time goal against Jamaica in March to secure the DRC’s World Cup slot.

“I’m not a politician, but the joy that I can bring to Congo is through football,” Tuanzebe recently told Sky Sports. “All I can do is put my two cents in there as a footballer, and hopefully it can help make a movement or spark a change into a better life and a better world. It does feel like a responsibility.”

Since 2019, Haiti has faced a growing crisis of political instability and gang violence that has left 50% of the country in need of humanitarian assistance in 2026. Like the DRC, however, this latest crisis is built on top of decades of historical challenges. All of this has left the most vulnerable people facing the greatest levels of hunger, poverty, and protection risks.

» Learn more about the crisis in Haiti

The severity of the security situation is illustrated by the national team’s daily reality. Head coach Sébastien Migné, appointed in 2024, is managing his historic World Cup run without ever having set foot in Haiti, owing to the safety issues. The team played its qualifying “home” qualifiers in the Caribbean nation of Curaçao, and only one of its players (midfielder Woodensky Pierre, who was born in Cité Soleil) still lives and plays in the country. Like the DRC, many of Haiti’s players were born into the diaspora.

“We have many players who have never been in Haiti, so before the game starts, sometimes I used to share with them the reality of the country, the responsibility we have on our shoulders,” teammate and striker Duckens Nazon told the BBC earlier this month. 

While Haiti lost its first game against Scotland, its return to the World Cup has come at the right time for millions of Haitians, at home and abroad. “We’re going through a lot of turmoil in Haiti, and really there’s nothing that can unite us the way football can,” one fan told the New York Times. “The team also represents not just pride, national pride, but resilience.”

After three decades of humanitarian crisis, political turmoil, and armed conflict, Iraq has shifted in the last few years towards a recovery phase – although post-conflict doesn’t automatically equal post-crisis. Nearly 1 million Iraqis remain internally displaced.

The country also hosts over 300,000 refugees and asylum seekers, 90% of whom are Syrians trying to navigate their own uncertain futures. Communities living in displacement continue to face barriers to essential protection services, public services, and livelihood opportunities.

» Learn more about Concern’s work in Iraq

Like many of his teammates, forward Aymen Hussein was born into the Iraqi crisis, during a conflict in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. Hussein’s home governorate of Kirkuk was hit hard during his childhood; his father was killed in a 2008 attack. A few years later, his brother was kidnapped and his house was destroyed. His family became internally displaced in 2014.

By that point, Hussein was ready to quit playing football to take care of his family. It was his mother who convinced him to stick with it and follow his dream. He’s become Iraq’s fifth all-time highest goal scorer – including the goal that landed the Lions of Mesopotamia their first World Cup spot in 40 years. This week, he also rose above the Norwegian defense to score Iraq’s first World Cup goal since 1986. 

For Hussein and the millions watching back home, this tournament represents a profound turning point. As he wrote on Instagram following the team's historic qualification: “A new history is being written.”

This year’s World Cup is a reminder that every country is defined by more than its crises. While the issues faced back home are very real, these moments show the world the lives that are being lived despite the circumstances. 

Concern has worked in both the DRC and Haiti since 1994, and in Iraq since 2018. In that time, we’ve partnered with millions of people to build better lives for themselves and their families, even through some of the harshest conditions brought about by conflict, natural disasters, and economic crises. 

We cheer for them on the global stage; we stand with them on the ground.

For every €1 donated to Concern, more than €0.87 goes directly into our programmes, working to deliver frontline humanitarian aid and long-term development support in 24 countries around the world. Talk about a textbook assist.