Lionel Mpasi, 31, has moved from France’s youth setup to DR Congo’s starting goalkeeper and a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup squad. Born in Meaux on August 1, 1994, he is now the trusted option for a team that has leaned on him for stability between the posts.
Mpasi made his senior DR Congo debut on February 1, 2022, coming on as a second-half substitute in a friendly against Bahrain. That appearance tied him to DR Congo, and the switch gave him a clear international path after years in France.
Rodez Built Mpasi
His club climb was built at Rodez after he signed there in 2016, briefly having been without a team. He helped the club earn promotion to Ligue 2, then became the first-choice goalkeeper and made more than 120 league appearances.
Before that, he had already moved through the academies of US Torcy, Paris Saint-Germain and Toulouse. He joined Paris Saint-Germain’s academy in 2009, played for Paris Saint-Germain II, Toulouse II, Rodez II and Le Havre, and never made a first-team appearance for Toulouse.
DR Congo And France
The international split is the defining part of his profile. Mpasi represented France at youth level before committing his senior career to DR Congo, and that change now sits at the center of his role for Sébastien Desabre’s team.
During the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, he became DR Congo’s starting goalkeeper and helped the team reach the knockout rounds. That run moved him from squad member to first-choice option in a tournament setting that tested whether DR Congo could trust him with the job.
World Cup Squad Place
He is among the players born abroad representing DR Congo at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a squad place that follows the same path he took in Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup competition. At 1.82 meters, he is not the tallest profile in the frame, but the numbers that count are the ones from his route: one senior switch, one starting role, and more than 120 league matches at Rodez.
For DR Congo, Mpasi is no longer just a name on the roster. He is the goalkeeper who has already handled the pressure of a senior switch, a continental tournament, and a World Cup squad call in the same career arc.
