DR Congo women: Mihayo looks to experience before Côte d’Ivoire match

On the eve of hosting Côte d’Ivoire, Pamphile Mihayo has highlighted a preparation period too short to establish his playing philosophy fully. In comments published by Actualite.cd on 8 October, the DR Congo women’s coach said he intended to lean more heavily on experienced players in pursuit of a positive result.

His assessment concerns the team’s collective work: a few days of training are not enough, in his view, to build everything he wants to introduce. Experience is therefore his stated foundation for this fixture, rather than a promise of an already fully developed system.

DR Congo host Côte d’Ivoire on Friday 9 October 2026 at TP Mazembe Stadium in Kamalondo, Lubumbashi, in qualifying for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Kick-off is scheduled for 15:30 Lubumbashi time, or 14:30 in Kinshasa, according to Radio Okapi. FECOFA confirms the date, venue and 15:30 start.

At the pre-match press conference reported by Radio Okapi, Mihayo also identified a home victory as the objective to approach the return leg with greater confidence. Côte d’Ivoire coach Reynald Pedros said his staff had studied DR Congo’s recent performances and expected a difficult match.

The return leg is scheduled for 13 October at the Félix-Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, at 19:00, according to FECOFA. Friday’s meeting is therefore the first of the two announced encounters between the national teams.

Written with AI assistance from the cited sources, following independent editorial review by another AI. No original interviews or human approval are claimed.