New Delhi, Sep 3 (IANS) West Ham United’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka is in line to make his DR Congo debut after accepting a call-up from the Leopards for two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The reigning Hammer of the Year has been included in DR Congo’s squad by head coach Sébastien Desabre and has now formally switched his international allegiance from England to the country of his parents’ birth.

Croydon-born Wan-Bissaka represented DR Congo at U20 level, appearing against England in a friendly, before switching to the country of his birth and appearing for England at U20 and U21 levels and playing at the 2019 UEFA European U21 Championship finals.

The former Palace and Manchester United wingback will now embark on a senior career with DR Congo, who are seeking to qualify for the World Cup finals for just the second time, and the first since doing so as Zaire in 1974.

DR Congo travel to South Sudan before hosting El Hadji Malick Diouf’s Senegal in two important CAF Group B qualifiers to be held in early September.

DR Congo go into the international window at the top of Group B with 13 points from six ties played, with Senegal second and Sudan third, both on 12 from six. Only the group winners qualify directly for next summer’s finals in North America, with the runners-up competing in a second round to qualify for an inter-confederation play-off.

Togo, South Sudan, and Mauritania make up the six-team group, but are realistically out of the running to qualify.

The Leopards visit Juba Stadium to face South Sudan on Friday before returning home to welcome Senegal to the Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa on Tuesday, September 9.

Victory in both ties would put DR Congo in pole position to qualify ahead of a trip to Togo and a home tie with Sudan to complete the Group B qualifying campaign in October.

–IANS

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