How long Hibs could be without Rocky Bushiri as defender named in DR Congo squad for 2025/26 Africa Cup of Nations
The Hibees defender has been rewarded for his performances at club level with a place at AFCON.
Rocky Bushiri has been included in the Democratic Republic of Congo squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.
The biannual competition will take place in Morocco over the next couple of months as Bushiri’s native DR Congo qualify for the 21st time. On a personal level, it will be the second occasion the 26-year old has been called up to a major International tournament, having also been selected in 2023.
Bushiri currently remains on the fringes of the DR Congo starting XI and was called up for both their fixtures during the last International break against Nigeria and Cameroon but didn’t feature on the pitch. He currently has four International caps to his name and will be hoping this number increases in Morocco after sitting on the bench for the entirety of the pervious tournament.
The Hibs defender has flourished in his new-look role this season at the centre of a back three for David Gray and has became a real Leith fan favourite. Bushiri has grown into a solid, dependable figure in defence and has also developed a healthy knack of scoring important goals for Hibs over the past year.
How long will Rocky be away?
With an important festive period of congested fixtures coming up for David Gray, it’s far from ideal that he’s losing one of his star players. FIFA have told clubs that they can keep their AFCON-bound players up until December 15th, meaning that Bushiri will be fine to play Falkirk on Saturday and should still be available for Rangers on the 15th, as DR Congo’s first match isn’t until over a week later.
As Rocky’s side face Benin, Senegal and Botswana in the group stage, at the very least he will miss three key Hibs fixtures against Dundee United away, Hearts at home and Aberdeen at home - this would be the best case scenario for Hibees fans.
However, should DR Congo progress from the groups, which is more than likely considering they came fourth two years ago, Bushiri could be away for as long as five weeks, not returning until late-January. If DR Congo emulate their 2023 form, due to the third place play-off, Bushiri wouldn’t get back until around January 18th, meaning he would miss a further two matches against Kilmarnock away and Motherwell at home.
The only guarantee is that if he comes back unscathed, he will be available for selection against Falkirk on the 24th next year, as the AFCON final takes place on the 18th. Hibs may also be without Miguel Chaiwa of Zambia and Jordan Obita of Uganda for the tournament, however both their squads are yet to be announced.
Here’s a look at the AFCON stages, with corresponding Hibs fixtures Bushiri would miss if DR Congo progress:
Preparation and Group stage - Dundee United (A), Hearts (H), Aberdeen (H)
Last 16 - Kilmarnock (A)
Quarter finals, semi-finals and final - Motherwell (H)
Bushiri ‘truly honoured’ with AFCON call-up
The defender took to Instagram to express his gratitude for the call-up, his story read: “truly honoured to defend the colours of Congo on the big stage.” Rocky was born in the city of Antwerp and played for Belgium at youth level but is eligible to feature at AFCON through his Congolese heritage. His grandfather, Albert Kisonga used to be the DR Congo ambassador to Belgium.
After making his senior International debut in a friendly against South Africa two years ago, he has mostly kept his place in the squad. Celtic winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha will also be featuring for The Leopards at the tournament.
David Gray said that despite Bushiri and other potential AFCON-bound players being a big blow to the side, it will just have to be something Hibs deal with. He said: “I think that’s all part of it when you sign players. It all comes into your way of thinking. When players are successful and qualify [with their countries], then there’s the potential to lose players. You know they could be away for a couple of weeks, or three or four weeks if they go really well in the competition.”