Edouard Kayembe (born 3 June 1998) is a Congolese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL Championship club Watford and the DR Congo national team.
Club career
Kayembe signed his first professional contract on 22 November 2016 with R.S.C. Anderlecht for 4.5 years, joining from the Congolese club Sharks XI FC. He made his professional debut for Anderlecht in a 1–0 Belgian First Division A win over K.A.S. Eupen on 22 December 2017.
On 7 January 2022, Kayembe joined Premier League club Watford on an eight and-a-half-year contract.
Kayembe scored his first goal for Watford FC on 11 November 2023 during a league match against Rotherham United FC. As a starter, he contributed to his team's 5–0 victory.
On 22 May 2026, Watford said it had triggered a one-year extension to his contract.
International career
Kayembe was called up to the DR Congo U20s for the 2017 Jeux de la Francophonie, but did not end up going to the tournament. He represented the DR Congo U23s in a pair of 2019 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations qualification matches in March 2019.
Kayembe made his senior debut for the DR Congo national football team in a friendly 1–1 draw with Algeria on 10 October 2019.
On 19 May 2026, he was included in the 26-man squad selected by head coach Sébastien Desabre to represent the DR Congo at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 19 September 2026
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Anderlecht | 2017–18 | Belgian Pro League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2018–19 | Belgian Pro League | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 15 | 0 | |||
| 2019–20 | Belgian Pro League | 18 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 21 | 0 | ||||
| 2020–21 | Belgian Pro League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 33 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 0 | |||
| KAS Eupen | 2020–21 | Belgian Pro League | 23 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 26 | 0 | |||
| 2021–22 | Belgian Pro League | 17 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 19 | 4 | ||||
| Total | 40 | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 4 | |||
| Watford | 2021–22 | Premier League | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Championship | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 22 | 0 | |||
| 2023–24 | Championship | 35 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 5 | |||
| 2024–25 | Championship | 44 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 46 | 8 | |||
| 2025–26 | Championship | 37 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 4 | |||
| 2026–27 | Championship | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 1 | |||
| Total | 150 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 157 | 18 | ||||
| Career total | 223 | 22 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 241 | 22 | ||
International
- As of match played 28 September 2026
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR Congo | 2019 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 10 | 0 | |
| Total | 48 | 2 | |
Scores and results list DR Congo's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 27 September 2022 | Stade Père Jégo, Casablanca, Morocco | Sierra Leone | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 2. | 6 September 2024 | Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo | Guinea | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
