One year later, Imbula was named in the provisional DR Congo squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. However, he was not included in the final 23-man squad after his international clearance was not processed in time. He received international clearance in October 2019. Imbula debuted for the DR Congo in a 0-0 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification tie with Gabon on 14 November 2019.