TP Mazembe, the CAF Champions League and football in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are the focus of this episode of Why We Love This Club, exploring how a team from Lubumbashi became one of Africa’s most successful and internationally significant clubs.
Founded in 1939, TP Mazembe have won 20 Congolese league titles and five African championships while building a continental powerhouse under longtime president Moïse Katumbi. Chris traces the club’s rise through stars including Trésor Mputu, Robert Kidiaba, Stopilla Sunzu, Rainford Kalaba and Mbwana Samatta.
The centerpiece is Mazembe’s extraordinary 2010 FIFA Club World Cup run, when victories over Pachuca and Internacional made them the first African club ever to reach the final, where they faced Inter Milan.
The episode also explores the Lubumbashi derby with FC Saint-Éloi Lupopo, rivalry with AS Vita Club, the Stade TP Mazembe, the club’s mining-region identity, its powerful recruitment network and the success of the TP Mazembe women’s team, winners of the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League.
It’s the story of a Congolese superclub that permanently changed Africa’s place in global club football.
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