DRC stars who could hurt The Warriors beyond Wan-Bissaka and Wissa
While attention will be on Aston Villa defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Axel Tuanzebe and Newcastle United striker Yoane Wissa when the Leopards of DR Congo face the Warriors on Monday at the National Sports Stadium in a 2027 AFCON qualifier, French coach Sebastien Desabre has several other weapons who could potentially inflict pain on Zimbabwe.
Here, Fanzone looks at four other stars in Desabre’s squad to watch as the Leopards tip-toe onto the National Sports Stadium in the capital, Harare on Monday at 18h00.
Both teams are in high spirits having won their opening Group E matches. DRC registered a 2-0 win over Equatorial Guinea while the Warriors staged a stunning comeback from two goals down to secure a 3-2 win over Sierra Leone.
Following their historic 2026 World Cup run, which featured their first-ever goal scored by Wissa against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and a maiden 3-1 win over Uzbekistan that propelled them into the Round of 32, Desabre has refreshed his squad with new talent. However they remain dangerous and an African powerhouse.
ARTHUR MASUAKU, THE EXPERIENCED WING-BACK
A familiar face for Warriors fans, Masuaku made his DR Congo debut against Zimbabwe on 13 October 2018. The match ended 1-1. Now at Konyaspor in Turkey, the former West Ham United and Olympiacos left-back has over 100 Premier League appearances to his name. At 31, his attacking runs and dangerous set-piece delivery remain a major threat.
Samuel Moutoussamy in action for DRC. Picture by The Leopards/DRC
SAMUEL MOUTOUSSAMY, THE LEOPARDS WORKHORSE ENFORCER
The Atromitos midfielder is the engine room of this Leopards side. A product of the Lyon academy who has played for Nantes, Fortuna Sittard and Sivasspor, Moutoussamy featured heavily in both the AFCON and the historic 2026 World Cup campaign. He doesn’t do flashy things but he breaks up play, intercepts passes and kills counter-attacks before they start.
THEO BONGONDA, DRC DRIBBLING WIZARD
If Zimbabwe’s full-backs switch off, Theo Bongonda will punish them. The dynamic wide forward is known for his explosive pace and excellent one-on-one dribbling, starting wide before drifting inside to create.
A key architect in the World Cup qualification run, he scored the decisive goal in the 1-0 AFCON group stage win over Benin. He now plays for Al-Faisaly in Saudi Arabia after a productive spell at Spartak Moscow.
FISTON MAYELE: DRC’S IN-FORM PREDATOR
Fiston Mayele during his time at Pyramids FC of Egypt. Picture by CAF Online
Fiston Mayele is arguably the most prolific Congolese striker on the continent right now, a man whose name is synonymous with goals and big finals. In the absence of Cédric Bakambu, Mayele will be DRC’s main man going forward.
The Al Ahli Tripoli forward arrives in Harare off the back of a historic spell with Egyptian giants Pyramids FC, where he enjoyed a stellar 2024/25 season.
He won the Egypt Cup in 2024 with the decisive goal in a 1-0 win over ZED FC, before firing Pyramids to their maiden CAF Champions League title in 2025 – scoring a crucial goal in the final against Mamelodi Sundowns.
His continental dominance didn’t stop there. In September 2025, he scored a famous hat-trick in a 3-1 victory over Al-Ahli to win the African-Asian-Pacific Cup, and a month later he struck again to win the CAF Super Cup against RS Berkane.
Mayele’s pedigree was built earlier at Young Africans, where he won two Tanzanian Premier League titles and finished as top scorer of the 2022/23 CAF Confederation Cup. He then finished as top scorer of the 2024/25 CAF Champions League with six goals.
That blistering form was rewarded in November 2025 when he was crowned CAF Men’s Interclub Player of the Year. The Warriors defenders need to be on the look out for Mayele to avoid anh damage.
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