Hibs defeder Rocky Bushiri and DR Congo have progressed to the last 16 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations following a strong group stage showing.
DR Congo comfortably advanced to the knockout stages of the competition, taking seven points from nine available to finish second-place in Group D – finishing behind Senegal only on goal difference.
The Leopards defeated Benin in their opening fixture 1-0 before being held to a 1-1 draw with Senegal after Cedric Bakambu’s equaliser was nullified by Sadio Mane’s equaliser.
Heading into the final matchday, knowing victory would confirm their place in the last 16, Bushiri started against Botswana in the crunch tie.
A formidable performance from helped DR Congo to a second clean sheet of the tournament, as they secured a professional 3-0 victory in Rabat to seal their place in the next stage.
The Round of 16 is already under way, with Bushiri and DR Congo set to face African heavyweights Algeria on Tuesday 6 January.
The match will kick-off at 4pm (UK time) at the Moulay Hassan Stadium in Rabat. UK viewers can watch the action unfold on the free-to-air Channel 4seven.
Additionally, Jordan Obita and Miguel Chaiwa also participated in the competition for the first and second time, respectively.
Obita made his Uganda debut in May 2025 and has rapidly became a key member of the Cranes’ squad – even captaining his country in the lead-up to AFCON.
The Oxford-born defender started all three games for Uganda in Group C – playing the full 90 minutes in each match to take his cap total into the double digits.
3-1 defeats to Tunisia and Nigeria opened and closed the Cranes’ AFCON adventure, but points were put on the board in a 1-1 draw with Tanzania at the Al Medina Stadium.
Chaiwa was competing in his second AFCON after playing twice in the 2023 edition of the competition.
The 21-year-old midfielder played 67 minutes in his nation’s opening match of the tournament as Zambia earned a solid 1-1 draw with Mali, who have since secured their place in the final eight.
He would miss out of Zambia’s 0-0 draw with Comoros, before returning to play the full 90 of his side’s 3-0 defeat to host nation, Morocco.
