Jorthy Mokio made his first unofficial appearance for DR Congo on Friday as the 18-year-old Ajax midfielder came off the bench in a 2-0 defeat by Uganda in Johannesburg.
Mokio started the match among the substitutes before being introduced after half-time by the national team manager, with the Leopards already trailing by two goals.
The friendly allowed Mokio to begin adapting to his new international role and take his first playing minutes for DR Congo. However, he will have to wait until 2028 before he can make his competitive debut for the country.
Mokio made his final decision to represent DR Congo earlier this year, having previously played one official international match for Belgium. Under FIFA’s regulations governing a change of sporting nationality, he is not eligible to appear in an official fixture for his new country before 2028.
Uganda took the lead after seven minutes when Bogere found the net. Kelvin Boateng doubled the advantage shortly after the interval, leaving DR Congo with too much ground to recover.
The Leopards were unable to respond, and Mokio’s first unofficial outing for DR Congo ended with defeat.