By Daniel Feuerstein | Guadalajara, MX | March 31st, 2026
The first of two final intercontinental playoff matches to decide the final two spots to complete the 48-team field for the 2026 FIFA World Cup started late afternoon at the Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico, at the home of Chivas. The Lone African representative, the Democratic Republic of Congo, as they face the last CONCACAF side in the Caribbean, hoping to join their fellow six sides in Jamaica. Both teams were looking for an edge, but when the 90 minutes of regulation couldn’t do it, it was the extra 30 as Congo DR edged Jamaica by a final score of one goal to nil
Game Recap
The lone goal of the match came in the 100th minute of extra time. Congo DR earns a corner kick along the far side. Many bodies were inside the area, looking for a chance to either create a deflection or bury the chance to take the lead. The moment of truth came when Axel Tuanzebe came running in the middle of the six-yard box and deflected the ball down and rolled past Jamaican Keeper Andre Blake to score the winning goal, and the celebrations began on the pitch and in the stands.
All match long, both sides had chances to score. It looked at first like Congo DR did open the scoring five minutes in, but the offside flag was up from the near side assistant. On the Hawkeye offside review, the play was offside as the entire upper body was ahead of the last defender. Leon Bailey of Jamaica had two big chances to force a save or score a goal, but both moments were wide of the posts. Even Andre Blake made a huge save at the start of the second half, diving to his left and pushing it out with both hands.
Many thought this match would have multiple goals, but once again, the precious golden ticket to become the 47th nation to qualify for the World Cup limited the number of chances that threatened either net. We saw two teams that battled hard and didn’t give an inch of grass to each other until the extra time session came to play. While we didn’t get to a penalty kick shootout, it was an entertaining match, and now Congo DR will be placed in Group K along with Portugal, Uzbekistan, and Colombia.
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