Tuesday January 6, 2026
- Prince Moulay Hassan stadium, Rabat 7pm (EAT)
Algeria and DR Congo clash in a high-profile round of 16 clash at the Prince Moulay Hassan on Tuesday with a place in the last eight the prize.
The Desert Foxes are one of the two nations that qualified to the stage with maximum group stages matches beating Sudan, Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea.
On the other hand, The Leopards of DR Congo finished second in their group on seven points behind Senegal after wins over Botswana and Botswana and a draw with the Lions of Teranga.
Both coaches have spoken with confidence coming into the clash but acknowledge the strengths of opponents.
Vladimir Petković, Algeria Head Coach:
“Congo is a well-built team, and you can clearly see the coach’s influence. Offensively, they are especially dangerous down the right side. They attack with a positive approach and strong momentum, and this is reflected in their results, both in the qualifiers and in knockout matches. They may not be used to facing opponents of a certain caliber, but they are still capable of eliminating them.
Sébastien Desabre, DR Congo head coach:
“These are high-stakes matches, since a place in the quarter-finals is at stake against a very good African team. For us, we’re happy because it helps us continue to improve in match preparation. It will also give us a lot of experience in managing this kind of game. And for us, we keep going, we don’t feel any extra pressure. In Congo, we’re used to having high pressure in matches. The players know this, and we actually like it.”
Key Stat:
Overall, the teams have met seven times. Algeria have recorded three wins, while DR Congo are winless, with four matches ending in draws. The last four meetings have all finished level, with the most recent three — all friendlies — ending 1-1. The last Algeria victory in this fixture came at the 1988 AFCON.
In the other final round of 16 clash, Burkina Faso take on champions Ivory Coast in Marrakesh.