Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The Democratic Republic of the Congo's men's national soccer team pulled off an unlikely 1-to-1 draw against Portugal Wednesday in the African country's first World Cup appearance in over 50 years.
More than 150 members of Maine's Congolese community attended a watch party at a bar in Portland, where the energetic crowd filled multiple rooms and spilled onto the street.
Event organizer Papy Bongibo says this kind of community gathering is especially important in light of recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity, including the January surge dubbed Catch of the Day.
"It's not easy," he says. "After the Catch of the Day operation it was sad and crazy, people were stuck at home, even not sending kids to school. We did the best we can, though"
Blessing Mukembo, of Portland, says the game was an opportunity to show joy and pride against that backdrop.
"People been scared to be outside, and this, this just brings all of us together to experience something we haven't experienced in a minute, this is really big," she says.
The reality outside the game did not appear to dampen fans' spirits, however. As DR Congo scored its first goal in World Cup history, the crowd went wild.
The team will play Colombia next Tuesday.
✏️: Ari Snider & Dylan Burmeister
🎥: Ari Snider
The Democratic Republic of the Congo's men's national soccer team pulled off an unlikely 1-to-1 draw against Portugal Wednesday in the African country's first World Cup appearance in over 50 years.
More than 150 members of Maine's Congolese community attended a watch party at a bar in Portland, where the energetic crowd filled multiple rooms and spilled onto the street.
Event organizer Papy Bongibo says this kind of community gathering is especially important in light of recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity, including the January surge dubbed Catch of the Day.
"It's not easy," he says. "After the Catch of the Day operation it was sad and crazy, people were stuck at home, even not sending kids to school. We did the best we can, though"
Blessing Mukembo, of Portland, says the game was an opportunity to show joy and pride against that backdrop.
"People been scared to be outside, and this, this just brings all of us together to experience something we haven't experienced in a minute, this is really big," she says.
The reality outside the game did not appear to dampen fans' spirits, however. As DR Congo scored its first goal in World Cup history, the crowd went wild.
The team will play Colombia next Tuesday.
✏️: Ari Snider & Dylan Burmeister
🎥: Ari Snider
