DR Congo vs Benin Prediction and Betting Tips | December 23rd 2025

DR Congo will face Benin at the Al Barid Stadium on Tuesday in the first round of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. The Leopards have made significant strides in the football world over the past year and are targeting their maiden FIFA World Cup appearance next year, but their immediate focus will be on delivering a successful AFCON campaign.

DR Congo went toe-to-toe with Zambia in a pre-tournament friendly in Spain last week and secured an unflashy but professional 2-0 victory. Sunderland’s Arthur Masuaku opened the scoring for the Leopards midway through the first half with a cross-cum-shot that found the net, before Rocky Bushiri doubled their advantage after the break.

Benin, who are set to make their first AFCON appearance since 2019, also took part in a pre-tournament friendly last week but were not as fortunate as their midweek opponents, suffering a heavy 3-0 defeat to Burkina Faso.

Head coach Gernot Rohr will be hoping his side can regroup both mentally and physically in time for their tournament opener on Tuesday, with challenging encounters against Botswana and Senegal to follow.

DR Congo vs Benin Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

• Tuesday's game will mark the third meeting between the two nations.
• The two teams last met in a World Cup qualifying clash in November 2021, where DR Congo secured a 2-0 home victory after previously playing out a 1-1 draw in the away fixture.
• Benin are making their fifth appearance in the AFCON, while DR Congo are competing in their 21st tournament.
• The Leopards are two-time winners of the continental showpiece, having last lifted the cup in 1974, and also boast two third-place finishes.
• The Cheetahs, meanwhile, have never won the competition, with their best-ever run coming in 2019 when they reached the quarterfinals.

DR Congo vs Benin Prediction

DR Congo head into the tournament this week on a five-game winning streak and have lost just once all year. They are the stronger side ahead of their opening game and will hope that is reflected on the scoreboard as they look to make a statement for the rest of the group.

Benin, on the other hand, have lost their last two games by an aggregate score of 7-0, a run that will do little to boost their confidence ahead of Tuesday’s important match, which could ultimately end in defeat.

Prediction: DR Congo 2-0 Benin

DR Congo vs Benin Betting Tips

Tip 1 - Result: DR Congo to win

Tip 2 - Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Under 2.5 goals (Each of Congo's last five matches have all produced fewer than 2.5 goals)

Tip 3 - Both teams to score: No

Edited by Peter P