Title contenders England, led by Harry Kane, face Yoane Wissa’s DR Congo, as the teams fight for a place in the last-16.
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Who: England vs DR Congo
What: FIFA World Cup 2026 – round of 32
Where: Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, US
When: Wednesday, July 1, at noon (16:00 GMT)
How to follow: We will have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 13:00 GMT before our live text commentary stream.
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England continue their bid for the 2026 World Cup title, facing first-timers, the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Wednesday’s round of 32 meeting.
After coming out of their group with an unbeaten record, the Three Lions will look to roar into the next phase.
But with an uninspiring draw and laboured victory marring their recent form, Thomas Tuchel and his side will take nothing for granted against DR Congo, who are enjoying a dream run with their first-ever knockout appearance.
Al Jazeera tells you everything about England vs DR Congo:
How did England and DR Congo reach the round of 32?
England were the winners of Group L with seven points. Here’s a list of their results:
DR Congo came third in Group K with four points, advancing as the highest-ranked third-place finisher. Here’s a list of their results:
England need to turn up the intensity against dreamers DR Congo
Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham chipped in five goals between them to carry England through to the World Cup knockout stages, but questions remain over the balance of coach Tuchel’s squad.
The English side has looked short of ideas in recent games and at times has lacked the intensity some commentators believe is required to sustain a deep tournament run. Nonetheless, when they face DR Congo, they will hope it marks the first of five games leading to the end of a long 60-year wait for World Cup glory.
The Three Lions are heavy favourites against DR Congo, but face a tough road to the final that could include facing Mexico on home soil, Brazil and Argentina. England haven’t won a major trophy since the 1966 World Cup.
As for DR Congo, the tournament is no less than a success already, and a redemption for their only previous appearance. In 1974, with the country then called Zaire, an early exit ensued on the back of three blowout defeats, where they failed to score a goal and conceded 14.
DR Congo finally made their World Cup return after 52 years this time, doing it the hard way by seeing off Jamaica in their inter-confederation playoff.
Despite their pre-World Cup preparations being affected by the Ebola crisis back home, the Congolese fought tooth and nail in the group stage, and their hard work paid off when Yoane Wissa’s double helped them beat Uzbekistan 3-2 for their maiden World Cup win.
England vs DR Congo prediction
Opta’s supercomputer has calculated a 73.9 percent probability of England winning this fixture in regulation time, while DR Congo is assessed a 11.3 percent chance of victory.
The probability of going to extra time – or potentially penalties – is 14.8 percent.
England vs DR Congo: Kickoff time, TV channel
- United Kingdom: BBC One, BBC iPlayer (5pm, British Summer Time)
- DR Congo: New World Sport 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 (7pm, Central European Summer Time)
- USA: FOX, FOX One, Telemundo App, Telemundo Network, Peacock (10am, Eastern Daylight Time)
To check the TV listings for your country, head to FIFA’s TV listing schedule here.
Who will the winner face in the round of 16?
The winner of the England vs DR Congo match will face either Ecuador or Mexico in the last 16.
England vs DR Congo: head-to-head
Wednesday’s match will be the first-ever meeting between England and DR Congo.
Having drawn against Ghana, this will be the second time England have taken on two African teams at the same World Cup – in 1990 they defeated Egypt 1-0 in the group stage and overcame Cameroon 3-2 in the quarter-finals.
England vs DR Congo: Team news
England will likely have key midfielder Declan Rice back in the starting lineup, but problems remain at right back. Reece James missed the Panama win with a hamstring issue, and his replacement, Jarell Quansah, went off with an ankle injury. Djed Spence is expected to start against DR Congo.
No injuries reported in the DR Congo camp.
England’s predicted lineup
(4-2-3-1): Pickford (goalkeeper); Spence, Konsa, Guehi, O’Reilly; Anderson, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Rashford; Kane
DR Congo’s predicted lineup
(5-3-2): Mpasi (goalkeeper); Wan-Bissaka, Mbemba, Tuanzebe, Kapuadi, Masuaku; Mukau, Moutoussamy, Kayembe; Wissa, Bakambu
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