These are busy times for football in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The women's team played in the African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) for the first time since 2012 while the men are currently top of their qualification group for the 2026 World Cup, putting them on course for a first appearance on the global stage since 1974.

Off the pitch, there is also encouraging news. If a peace deal that was signed in June between the country and neighboring Rwanda holds, enduring violence could recede and citizens could have a fresh chance to play or watch sport.

The eastern region of the 11th biggest country in the world has been dogged by violence for the past 30 years, which has, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, resulted in the deaths of approximately six million people. Fighting escalated earlier this year as M23, a rebel paramilitary group that, according to the Congo and the United Nations, is backed by Rwanda, made inroads against the Congolese army.

Details of the peace plan, brokered by the United States, may be currently vague with concerns over whether it can hold and the low levels of trust between the two parties, but the prospect of stability is a welcome one.

"One hopes that eventually this [peace deal] will be implemented," said Murithi Mutiga, Africa Program Director at the International Crisis Group. "With luck, and also concerted diplomatic efforts, Congo may reach its potential."

How peace could score for the 'beautiful game'

If the fighting stops, football can resume all over the country.

"A peace deal needs to be sorted because a number of the clubs that are based in the east of the country have not been able to play as a result of the recent conflict and invasion," Guy Burton, an international research analyst on conflict and peace, told DW.

"Ultimately for the game to flourish, you need to have stability, you need to have peace. When war is happening, the priority is just to survive."

And peace is just a start.

"Provided it is followed by concrete and sustainable implementation, the state and investors can better finance the rehabilitation of stadiums, community fields, and training centers," Francisco Mulonga, president of football club Sporting Club de Kinshasa, told DW. "Regions formerly at war could finally benefit from real sports facilities."

Greater opportunities in cities such as Goma, which lies near the border with Rwanda, would give young men a choice: kicking a ball instead of picking up a gun or getting involved in crime.

"Football can really help young men turn away from violence and adopt a healthier lifestyle through sport, especially in contexts marked by poverty, idleness, or social tensions," Mulonga added.

"Playing football fosters the creation of strong social bonds between young people from different backgrounds. Football is a model of hope and ambition."

The impact of the 2026 World Cup

Reaching the 2026 World Cup could be a game-changer. Even amid instability at home, DR Congo is top of its qualification group, with Senegal and Sudan close behind and just four games remaining. DR Congo faces those two teams on home soil later this year in what should be decisive clashes.

"If the men's team qualifies, people will look more at Congo, to come and invest and help the kids," Ricardo Eluka, founder of Espoir Football Academy in Kinshasa, which he set up to help young people fulfil their dreams, told DW.

"Congo has the same level of talent as the Nigerian team, or Ghana and Senegal. We have these kinds of players but we don't have the money to come and invest," said Eluka. "If we had more money coming in, football in Congo would be huge."

More investment at grassroots, in facilities and in the clubs would help the country produce more players such as Chancel Mbemba who has played nearly 100 times for the national team, as well as taking to the pitch for European clubs such as Newcastle United, Porto and Marseille.

"Qualification for the World Cup would have a very positive and structuring impact on Congolese football on several levels: sporting, economic, social, and even political,” said Mulonga.

"It could also facilitate the export of Congolese players to top-tier foreign clubs."

Football is 'almost a national religion' in Congo

The women have longer to go, however, and were eliminated from the WAFCON with a game left to play. There are strong players but infrastructure and support are in short supply, according to national team captain Fideline N'goy.

"There is great talent and a desire among young girls to play the sport, but there is no decent coaching to develop their talents: no training centers, no fields, and no projects from the federation," N'goy said.

The goalkeeper contrasts the situation with Cameroon and Morocco where, she says, FIFA prize money goes back into the women's game and South Africa where the women are paid almost as much as the men.

"In our country, the winners of the women's championship earn US $10,000 (€8500), while the men's earn US$150,000."

It may be left for the women to do it themselves, to achieve international success in order to help those back at home.

"If the women play well, we will have more female students," Eluka said. "The problem in Congo, there is no investment made, no facilities for the ladies to practice and get better."

It remains to be seen if the men's squad making it to the World Cup would boost the women's game but it would certainly be widely celebrated in a country that has not had much to celebrate in recent years.

"Football is almost a national religion in Congo," said Mitiga. "If it qualifies for the World Cup as it seems well-poised to do, it will really energize and electrify the nation. It will bring people together."

Edited by: Matt Pearson