Greenpeace Africa has called on football supporters to use the occasion to raise awareness about the protection of wildlife and forests in the Congo Basin
As the national football team of the Democratic Republic of Congo returns to the FIFA World Cup after 52 years, Greenpeace Africa has called on football supporters to use the occasion to raise awareness about the protection of wildlife and forests in the Congo Basin.
In a press statement, Greenpeace says that the participation of the national football team, the Leopards, presents an opportunity to draw attention to species that share the team’s name and other wildlife found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including forest and savanna elephants, bonobos, okapis and eastern lowland gorillas.
Bonaventure Bondo
The statement adds that these species and their habitats face growing pressure from deforestation and forest degradation. It urged supporters in the Democratic Republic of Congo and across Africa to extend their support beyond football by backing conservation efforts.
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The organisation says that the leopard, the symbol of the national football team, is also one of the country’s wildlife species and represents part of the Congo Basin’s natural heritage.
“Today, millions of supporters will be cheering for the Leopards. But this national enthusiasm can also become a powerful driver for raising awareness about the protection of Congolese forest and biodiversity, which is increasingly threatened by deforestation and forest degradation,” says Bonaventure Bondo, Congo Basin Forest and Biodiversity Campaigner, Greenpeace Africa.
“The Leopards’ participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States is a source of national pride. It also reminds us that the symbols that unite us on the football field also live in our forests. Today, protecting leopards and other iconic species of the Congo Basin is a collective challenge that deserves the same level of commitment,” says Bonaventure.
Incidentally, DRC played a spirited game to hold a fancied Portugal to a 1-1 draw in their first match of the tournament at Houston in Texas last night.
