Football team
Céleste
Club · DR Congo · Ligue 1
«Yuma»
A club from Mbandaka losing a cup final by a single goal to AS Vita Club does not sound like the shape of a five-year story — yet that is what happened to Céleste on 15 June 2024, at Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa, in the 58th edition of the Coupe du Congo. Getting there had meant beating FC Tanganyika 4-1 in the semi-final. The final went 1-0 the other way, and with it went the club's first appearance in a major final.
Céleste FC, formed in Mbandaka in 2019, spent little time waiting for its moment: promotion to the Vodacom Ligue 1 came in 2022. In the Équateur province, where the club is also known as "Chérubins" of Mbandaka, that return counted for something on its own before the cup run gave it a further push.
Its ground, Stade Bakusu, holds 1,500 people.
Among those who made the 2024 campaign, striker Benny Namboka, born in 2004, represented a squad that also drew on the experience of left-back Patou Simbi Ebunga, born in 1983. The club is run by president Christian Monkwa.
No Ligue 1 title or Coupe du Congo has yet followed.
Latest results
Fixtures and results| 20 Jun | Ligue 1 |
TP Mazembe
A
|
0:2 | L |
| 17 Jun | Ligue 1 |
Saint Eloi Lupopo
A
|
1:1 | D |
| 14 Jun | Ligue 1 |
Maniema Union
H
|
1:3 | L |
| 10 Jun | Ligue 1 |
Simba
H
|
1:1 | D |
| 7 Jun | Ligue 1 |
Don Bosco
A
|
2:2 | D |
| 3 Jun | Ligue 1 |
Vita Club
H
|
1:3 | L |
Standing
Ligue 1Group stage · Super Ligue: Championship Group
| # | Team | M | W | D | L | Goals | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
TP Mazembe
|
14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 25:7 | 30 |
| 2 |
 JSK
|
13 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 18:10 | 26 |
| 3 |
Maniema Union
|
14 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 16:16 | 23 |
| 4 |
Vita Club
|
13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 11:9 | 19 |
| 5 |
Saint Eloi Lupopo
|
14 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 11:9 | 18 |
| 6 |
Don Bosco
|
14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 13:17 | 17 |
| 7 |
Simba
|
14 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 9:18 | 11 |
| 8 |
Céleste
|
14 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 8:25 | 4 |
Team statistics
matches counted in total: 91| Metric | Total | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matches | 91 | 48 | 43 |
| Scored | 78 | 38 | 40 |
| Conceded | 96 | 49 | 47 |
| Scored per game | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.9 |
| Conceded per game | 1.1 | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| Difference | −18 | −11 | −7 |
Fixtures of Céleste
Honours of Céleste
- Coupe du Congo 2024 1