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Confident DR Congo Ready to Bring African Flair to World Cup After Long Wait

Omni Houston Hotel, Houston, Texas, US - June 11, 2026 DR Congo players arrive at the hotel in Houston ahead of the FIFA World Cup. (Reuters)
Omni Houston Hotel, Houston, Texas, US - June 11, 2026 DR Congo players arrive at the hotel in Houston ahead of the FIFA World Cup. (Reuters)
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Confident DR Congo Ready to Bring African Flair to World Cup After Long Wait

Omni Houston Hotel, Houston, Texas, US - June 11, 2026 DR Congo players arrive at the hotel in Houston ahead of the FIFA World Cup. (Reuters)
Omni Houston Hotel, Houston, Texas, US - June 11, 2026 DR Congo players arrive at the hotel in Houston ahead of the FIFA World Cup. (Reuters)

Jubilant singing and the raspy sound of vuvuzelas have created an unmistakingly African feel to Democratic of Republic Congo’s training in Houston, where supporters are confident their side can shine at the World Cup and have a message for Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Congolese open their Group K campaign against Portugal in Houston on Wednesday, ending a 52-year wait to return to football’s main table after a single previous ‌appearance in 1974 ‌as Zaire.

On that occasion they lost all ‌three ⁠matches, scored no ⁠goals and conceded 14 times, but fans are confident there will be no repeat of that failure this time round, with Colombia and Uzbekistan also in the pool.

"I am really happy, man,” Dada Muzinga told Reuters. “It's a long time... I'm 40 years old but I have never seen the World Cup with my country. I am excited. I know it is going ⁠to be really good.”

Muzinga was wearing a clown ‌mask with bright red hair and ‌had words for Ronaldo, who is likely to line up for Portugal against the ‌Congolese.

“This message is to Cristiano Ronaldo. We don’t want no penalties, ‌no red cards (like in the opening game). We want to play to the end. We will see who wins the game.”

Claude Byiringiro, 24, a local teacher, stood transfixed as he watched the Congolese players train. “I follow the team and ‌I am really excited it is happening here in Houston,” Byiringiro said. “I feel like we have a ⁠good squad, the ⁠chemistry is getting better. Hopefully we can go far this time.”

“These are the players you grew up watching on TV and now you get to see them represent your country and not only that, you get to see them live. The way they move the ball, it’s amazing. It feels unreal. It hasn’t hit me yet. I’ve been trying to take videos for memories.”

Asked how far the Congo team could go in the tournament, a shout went up, “All the way to the final”, followed by cheers from the throng of fans.

The team's participation is a welcome bright spot during an Ebola outbreak in Congo that as of Friday had 676 confirmed cases and claimed 136 lives.

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Serena Williams Teams up with Muchova in Berlin Doubles

US player Serena Williams hits a shot during a practice session at the HSBC WTA tennis Championships at Queen's Club in west London on June 12, 2026. (AFP)
US player Serena Williams hits a shot during a practice session at the HSBC WTA tennis Championships at Queen's Club in west London on June 12, 2026. (AFP)
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Serena Williams Teams up with Muchova in Berlin Doubles

US player Serena Williams hits a shot during a practice session at the HSBC WTA tennis Championships at Queen's Club in west London on June 12, 2026. (AFP)
US player Serena Williams hits a shot during a practice session at the HSBC WTA tennis Championships at Queen's Club in west London on June 12, 2026. (AFP)

US tennis great Serena Williams, on the comeback trail nearly four years after retiring, will partner Czech Karolina Muchova in the doubles at next week's Berlin Open grass court tournament.

"We're going to play doubles. I'm pretty excited about it, it doesn't happen every day that such an amazing athlete, not only in tennis but overall in sport asks you to play tennis with her. I hope it's going to be fun," Muchova told a press conference in Berlin on Saturday.

Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, had retired after the 2022 US Open.

On Tuesday, the 44-year-old won her first doubles match at the Queen's Club in London alongside Canadian Victoria Mboko.

Mboko then injured her left knee, forcing her to retire from the singles and the doubles.

The 29-year-old Muchova, ranked 10th in the world, was runner-up at the 2023 French Open singles tournament.

The Berlin Open serves as a warm-up for Wimbledon from July 1-14.

Sports

FIFA Faces Protests in Toronto Over Israel Ties Ahead of Canada World Cup Match

]Protesters hold a banner reading "Kick Israel Out of FIFA", ahead of Canada's World Cup match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, June 12, 2026. (Reuters)
]Protesters hold a banner reading "Kick Israel Out of FIFA", ahead of Canada's World Cup match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, June 12, 2026. (Reuters)
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FIFA Faces Protests in Toronto Over Israel Ties Ahead of Canada World Cup Match

]Protesters hold a banner reading "Kick Israel Out of FIFA", ahead of Canada's World Cup match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, June 12, 2026. (Reuters)
]Protesters hold a banner reading "Kick Israel Out of FIFA", ahead of Canada's World Cup match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, June 12, 2026. (Reuters)

Protesters unfurled a massive red banner on top of the World Cup logo near a busy highway in Toronto on Friday, denouncing FIFA's association with Israel, hours before Canada's first game.

Demonstrators donning shirts that read "Jews for a free Palestine" mounted a nearby embankment ‌and dropped the ‌banner with the message "Kick Israel out of ‌FIFA". ⁠

The banner was ⁠visible to commuters on the Gardiner Expressway - one of Canada's busiest - on their way to the home team's opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Toronto stadium.

Other actions organized by a group of activists included demands for the release of prominent Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya, who was captured ⁠by the Israeli military in Gaza in ‌late 2024.

Faisal Ibrahim, a spokesperson ‌for the activists, accused FIFA of being complicit with Israel's actions against ‌Palestinians.

"FIFA not only turns a blind eye to the ‌Israel Football Association's playing of games on illegally occupied West Bank and Syrian territory, it actually actively broadcasts those games, thereby normalizing occupation and erasure, which makes FIFA an active and complicit participant," ‌he told Reuters.

In March, global football's ruling body said it would take no action ⁠against Israeli clubs ⁠accused by the Palestine Football Association of competing while allegedly based in Palestinian territory, citing the unresolved legal status of the West Bank under public international law.

Israel's war in Gaza has killed tens of thousands, caused a hunger crisis, and led to assessments of genocide from scholars and a United Nations inquiry.

Israel strongly denies genocide accusations and calls its actions self-defense after Hamas-led fighters killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages in an October 2023 attack.

UN experts have also appealed to FIFA and the Union of European Football Associations to suspend Israel from international football.

Sports

Türkiye's Long World Cup Wait Set to End with Australia Showdown

Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Türkiye Training - Arizona Athletic Grounds, Mesa, Arizona, US - June 8, 2026 Türkiye coach Vincenzo Montella with players during training. (Reuters)
Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Türkiye Training - Arizona Athletic Grounds, Mesa, Arizona, US - June 8, 2026 Türkiye coach Vincenzo Montella with players during training. (Reuters)
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Türkiye's Long World Cup Wait Set to End with Australia Showdown

Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Türkiye Training - Arizona Athletic Grounds, Mesa, Arizona, US - June 8, 2026 Türkiye coach Vincenzo Montella with players during training. (Reuters)
Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Türkiye Training - Arizona Athletic Grounds, Mesa, Arizona, US - June 8, 2026 Türkiye coach Vincenzo Montella with players during training. (Reuters)

Türkiye coach Vincenzo Montella ‌want his players to keep their emotions in check and make the country proud when they play their first World Cup match in 24 years against Australia in Vancouver on Saturday.

Türkiye's have not appeared at a World Cup finals since finishing third at the 2002 tournament, and Montella told a media conference on Friday they had to avoid being overwhelmed by the occasion.

"This is the day before something that we have been waiting for 24 years, we are very emotional and we trust we are going to do well," he said.

"We know ‌how many ‌challenges there are in the World Cup, but ‌we ⁠want to enjoy ⁠it and we want to be proud, and we want to make our nation proud of us.

"The first game is always the more important, even though it's not the one that decides the final results because you can gain points in future games, but of course, I think of this game as a game that is going to ⁠be important and that is going to help in ‌the future path of our team."

The ‌51-year-old said the current crop of players, who will also take on the ‌United States and Paraguay in Group D, were not to blame ‌for the fact that Türkiye had failed to reach the finals in more than two decades.

"I like telling my players that our success, it's not their fault that Türkiye was not at the World Cup for 24 ‌years, but they can be proud that we can be here again after 24 years and now ⁠they need ⁠to be playing at their best, give the game their all and just avoid thinking about the other stuff," he added.

For Montella, the key will be in staying focused in the first group game and getting off to a good start.

"There is so much enthusiasm and so much expectation that it (the game) is important for our players. I would like them to go out on the field and play with their own strengths with their own abilities - I don't want them to be under the weight of the emotional part," he said.

"I know that, when they play together but are feeling free and happy and without worrying too much, that's when they give their best."