Linafoot Ligue 2
| Founded | 2012 |
|---|---|
| Country | DR Congo |
| Confederation | CAF |
| Number of clubs | 48 |
| Level on pyramid | 2 |
| Promotion to | Linafoot Ligue 1 |
| Relegation to | Provincial Leagues |
| Domestic cup | Coupe du Congo |
| Current champions | AS Kiya Sport (Zone-East) US Panda B52 (Zone-West) Etoile de Kivu (Zone-South Central) |
| Most championships | RC Kinshasa (2 titles) |
| Current: 2024-25 | |
Linafoot Ligue 2, also known as Ligue 2 or for sponsorship reasons Illicocash Ligue 2, is the second-tier football competition in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Created in 2012, it is organized by Linafoot (Ligue Nationale de Football) under the authority of the Congolese Association Football Federation.[1]
History
Before the creation of Ligue 2, Congolese football was organized through a network of provincial championships. Each province ran its own league, and at the end of the season the best clubs from the provincial competitions advanced to the national qualification phase.
In 2012, following the formation of Linafoot Ligue 1, the national federation introduced a promotion system called the Tournoi de la Montée, which brought together the champions of all provincial leagues. The competition was organized into three geographical zones: West, East, and Center–South.
The format remained in place until 2017, when the federation decided to restructure the pyramid and create a true nationwide second division. As a result, in 2018, the provincial champions were incorporated into the newly established Ligue 2, replacing the old promotion tournament. To address the challenges of long distances and reduce travel costs for the teams, the idea of a single national pool was abandoned in favor of a traditional format consisting of three groups divided by zones, West, East, and Center–South, each comprising 10 teams.[2][3]
Previous winners
| Season | Zone East | Zone West | Zone South Central |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | AS Dauphins Noirs | SC Rojolu | CS Don Bosco |
| 2013 | AS Nika | Sharks XI FC | Lubumbashi Sport |
| 2014 | AC Capaco Beni | RC Kinshasa | AS Bantous |
| 2015 | US Socozaki | AS Dragons Bilima | AS New Soger |
| 2016 | DC Virunga | AS Veti | AC Dibumba |
| 2017 | FC Mont Bleu | Académic Club Rangers | Ecofoot Katumbi |
| 2018–19 | OC Bukavu Dawa | RC Kinshasa | FC Simba Kolwezi |
| 2019–20 | TS Malekesa | JS Kinshasa | Blessing Kolwezi |
| 2020–21 | Etoile de Kivu[4] | AS Kuya Sport | US Panda B5 Likasi |
References
- ^ "Ligues subdélégataire" [Sub-delegate leagues] (in French). fecofa.cd. Archived from the original on 6 August 2025. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
- ^ "Le calendrier de la première édition de la division 2 du championnat national de football" (in French). stade.cd. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
- ^ "Linafoot : Les 30 équipes engagées en division 2 réparties dans 3 zones" (in French). stade.cd. August 29, 2018. Archived from the original on 28 October 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
- ^ "Étoile du Kivu célèbre sa montée en Ligue 1 au détriment de Kabasha" [Etoile du Kivu celebrates its rise in Ligue 1 at the expense of Kabasha] (in French). laplumeinfos.net. 21 July 2017. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.