This will be the fifth CAF Africa Cup of Nations encounter between Egypt and DR Congo, with the Pharoahs winning three of the previous four (L1).
Egypt and DR Congo have met twice previously in the knock-out rounds of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, each winning once (DR Congo won 3-2 in the semi-final in 1974 and Egypt won 4-1 in the quarter-final in 2006). On both occasions the winner of the tie went onto lift the trophy that year – DR Congo (as Zaire) in 1974 and Egypt in 2006.
Both Egypt and DR Congo qualified for the knockout rounds of AFCON 2023 with three draws each in their group stage games – only four previous teams have progressed from their group with three draws since 1996 (when groups were made of four teams), and DR Congo (also in 2015) are the first to do so twice (Benin and Tunisia in 2019, Guinea in 2015).
Four of Egypt’s last seven CAF Africa Cup of Nations knockout matches have gone to penalties (three wins, one defeat). They’ve failed to score in four of their last five in the knockouts, with the other a 2-1 win over Morocco in the 2021 quarter-final.
Egypt qualified from the group stages of the 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations with three 2-2 draws seeing them into second-place. They were the first side ever to qualify from an AFCON group stage despite conceding 2+ goals in all three games. In the 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations group stage, Egypt had 12 more shots than any other team (59) and only Morocco (18) had more shots on target than they did (17). They also faced the joint fewest shots (18, level with DR Congo).