There’s a specific kind of irony in Yoane Wissa arriving at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and immediately outscoring his own Premier League season. Three goals in the tournament. Three goals in the league for Newcastle United in 2025-26. The math is uncomfortably neat.
A goal 52 years in the making
On June 17, 2026, inside NRG Stadium in Houston, Wissa put DR Congo on the scoresheet in a FIFA World Cup finals match for the first time since the nation last qualified, which was 1974. That’s not a typo. Fifty-two years between appearances, and Wissa was the man to end the wait.
The match finished 1-1 against Portugal, a result that, on paper, looks like a draw. For DR Congo, it landed more like a statement.
The Newcastle chapter, honestly assessed
