Football is the primary sport that most Congolese love to play, and their national team is a two-time champion of the African Cup of Nations (1968 and 1974). They also qualified for the World Cup in 1974 (playing as Zaire).
Their love for football even helped them cope with the conflict during the civil war (Goma, DRC – The decades-long civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) divided communities that had previously coexisted peacefully).
This is why numerous football clubs are established within the country, and the top ten are highlighted in this article.
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1. AS Vita Club (DR Congo)
AS Vita Club, or simply AS Vita Club, is a sports organization founded in the Congo in 1935. The team is one of the oldest in Congo and among the most successful, having captured the Linafoot 12 times and the Coupe du Congo nine times.
On the list of the top 10 African football clubs, AS Vita from the Democratic Republic of the Congo deserves a shout-out.
2. TP Mazembe (DR Congo)
Tout Puissant Mazembe (TP Mazembe) is a Congolese professional football club in Lubumbashi. In Katanga Province, the Benedictine monks who oversaw the Institut Saint-Boniface school in Élisabethville (current-day Lubumbashi) originally founded Tout Puissant Mazembe, the first sports club from the Democratic Republic of the Congo with a value of at least $10 million.
In 1939, the missionaries formed a football team for the Boy Scout troop of the students, which they named Saint Georges FC in honor of the Scouting movement's patron saint. The Belgian King founded the Royal Federation of the Native Athletic Associations (Fédération Royale des Associations Sportives Indigènes, or FRASI).
This team directly affiliated itself with the first division. Holy Georges finished the season in third place.
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3. Amicale Sportive Dragons
The football team from the Congo, Amicale Sportive Dragons, is based in Kinshasa. [1] They currently compete in the Linafoot league, the highest tier of professional football in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Stade 24 Novembre is where they play their home matches. The club's previous name was Amicale Sportive Bilima.
The club was established in 1938 and was known as AS Bilima. The team evolved into a top Club following the country's separation from Belgium in June 1960, as evidenced by the first championship in 1965. As a result, a difficult-to-break dominance between the trio AS Vita Club, Imana Kinshasa, and Tout Puissant Mazembe emerged.
Edouard Mwe di Malila Apenela, a Congolese businessman, became president and donator of As Dragons in 1969.
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4. Diables Rouges
Sportive Association Vita Club, also referred to as AS Vita Club, AS V. Club, or simply Vita Club is a Kinshasa-based Congolese football team. In Kinshasa's rue Usoke n°73, Honoré Essabe established AS Vita Club in 1935 under the name Renaissance.
The name was changed in 1939 to Diables Rouges, Victoria Club in 1942, and Vita Club in 1971. On December 17, 1976, the Omnisports club adopted a giant statue as its official symbol.
5. Sporting Club Cilu
Sporting Club Cilu is a football club in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's capital Lukala. They compete at the highest level of professional football in DR Congo, the Linafoot. They participated in the 2004 CAF Champions League but were eliminated in the first round. In 2006, they took home the Unifac Clubs Cup.
They were Runners-up in Linafoot in 2003.
6. Daring Club Motema Pembe
Daring Club Motema Pembe, or DCMP for short, is a Kinshasa-based Congolese football club. It was created in 1936 by Rev. Father Raphael de la Kethulle de Ryhove, a missionary for the Congregation of Scheutistes, under the name Falcon Daring. He sourced most of its players from Sainte-college Anne's team in Kinshasa (currently Elikya college).
Before adopting the name Daring Club Motema Pembe Imana (Imana DCMP) in 1985, the DCMP was renamed CS Imana in 1949. The DCMP is the most successful national club of the DRC, with 27 national titles won since 1963. If the 35 international titles won are included, TP Mazembe has more trophies.
Political figures Holden Roberto and Cyrille Adoula are notable ex-players.
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7. FC Saint-Éloi Lupopo
The football team from the Congo named FC Saint-Éloi Lupopo is based in Lubumbashi. The Stade Kibassa Maliba is where they play their home matches. Six-times winners at Linafoot (1958, 1968, 1981, 1986, 1990, 2002) and Runner-up (3) in 2005, 2006, and 2009.
8. Académic Club Rangers
Académic Club Rangers is a football club in Kinshasa, Congo. The 80,000-seat Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa is where they hold their home matches. Since its founding in 2000, Académic Club Rangers has competed in Linafoot.
Sa Majesté Sanga Balende is a soccer team that competes in the Vodacom Ligue 1 of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As the only team from Kasai Oriental in Vodacom Ligue 1, Sanga Balende enjoys a great deal of support from residents of Kasai Districts throughout the DRC.
As a result, they have one of the most devoted fan bases in the nation. The club has its headquarters in Mbuji-Mayi.
9. Union Sud-Kasaienne club
The club was founded on March 25, 1962, as Union Sud-Kasaienne. The name was changed to Nsanga Balende to reflect Zairian authenticity. "Sa Majesté" refers to His Majesty. Muela Kankonde, Jonas Mukamba Kadiata Nzemba, and Nestor Lubula are among the co-founders.
CSa Majesté Sanga Balende is a football club in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's top division, Vodacom Ligue 1. Sanga Balende is the only club from Kasai Oriental in Vodacom Ligue 1, which gives them a lot of popularity throughout the DRC among Kasai Districts.
They have one of the most devoted followings in the country. The club's headquarters are in Mbuji-Mayi.
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10. Association Sportive Nika
Association Sportive Nika, or AS Nika, is a football team from the Democratic Republic of the Congo based in Kisangani, Tshopo province. AS Nika was founded in 1955 as FC RUBI by students from Buta's Frères Maristes school who had traveled to Kisangani to pursue their education.
RUBI is the river's name that symbolizes its origin and can be found at the city's entrance. It competes in the Linafoot Ligue 2, the second tier of the national game. Stade Lumumba is where they play their home games.
The club has gone by many names, including FC Dieterein, INSS, Espoir, and Electronic, starting in 1972, AS Nika.
