DR Congo and Jamaica face off in win-or-go-home World Cup qualifier

The winner will be placed into Group K at the World Cup, where they will face Portugal, Uzbekistan and Colombia

By Pardeep Cattry Mar 31, 2026 at 11:54 am ET • 2 min read

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Qualification for the 2026 World Cup finally comes to a close on Tuesday in Mexico with two matches, the first of which will see DR Congo and Jamaica face off near Guadalajara in a win-or-go-home match.

Jamaica reached Tuesday's match after a 1-0 win over New Caledonia on Thursday, Bailey Cadamarteri scoring 18 minutes into a closely-contested qualifier. The Reggae Boyz may have breathed a sigh of relief as the final whistle blew last week, but the match was the latest sign of a team that is performing below expectations -- with three guaranteed spots at a 48 team World Cup and the absence of co-hosts Mexico, Canada and the U.S. men's national team, Jamaica were expected to get the job done months ago. They are instead going about things the hard way, the journey refusing to get easier just yet.

The Concacaf side is working with interim head coach Rudolph Speid rather than a permanent option. Speid replaced the more experienced Steve McClaren after Jamaica missed out on an automatic berth last fall. The team's high-profile dual nationals did not make much of a dent on Thursday, either, transforming a regional dark horse into more of an underdog as they chase their first berth at the World Cup since 1998.

How to watch DR Congo vs. Jamaica

Date: Tuesday, March 31 | Time: 5 p.m. ET
Location: Estadio Akron -- Zapopan, Mexico
TV: Fox Sports 1 | Live stream: fubo (try for free)

The nature of FIFA's last-gasp intercontinental playoffs, though, is that there are only underdogs competing for those final World Cup berths. In some sense, DR Congo fit the underdog archetype a bit better, their one and only trip to the tournament was in 1974 as Zaire, which ended in a group stage exit just like Jamaica's only World Cup journey did in 1998. Congo, though, may have momentum on their side.

They have some quality players in their team like England-based Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Yoanne Wissa, while only two members of their team having played for Congolese clubs, as most pursue richer opportunities elsewhere. They may not be World Cup frequents, but while Jamaica's downward trajectory is notable, Congo's upward rise is remarkable. They made it to the round of 16 run at the Africa Cup of Nations last winter, a 1-1 draw with Senegal in the group stage demonstrating some mettle in a high-profile matchup. Before that, they survived a four-team African playoff to even reach Tuesday's match, beating Cameroon and overcoming NIgeria in a penalty shootout to ensure they would make the trip to Guadalajara this month.

If momentum is any indicator, Congo have taken their chances as a long and winding road to the World Cup takes them more than 7,000 miles from home to play the biggest game in the team's history in decades. When the stakes are this high, though, it's anyone's guess how things will shake out – a cult hero or two will be crowned months before the tournament begins, while existential questions on where to go from here likely await the team that falls short.

The eventual winner of Tuesday's match awaits a World Cup group full of heavy-hitters in Portugal and Colombia, as well as tournament newcomer Uzbekistan.