England face DR Congo in the World Cup 2026 round of 32 at Atlanta Stadium (Mercedez-Benz Stadium) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA on Wednesday.
It is a first-ever meeting between the two nations, with either co-hosts Mexico or Ecuador lying in wait in the last 16 at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca on Sunday night.
England start as strong favourites to progress through the first knockout phase, having finished top of Group L after breaking down stubborn Panama in the second half of a 2-0 victory in rainy New Jersey last weekend.
It was an initially laboured but ultimately improved display from the Three Lions, who had sparked concerns among fans after a turgid stalemate with Ghana that had sapped much of the enthusiasm generated by a thrilling 4-2 opening victory over Croatia.
They will likely face a tricky test from DR Congo, who are through to the World Cup knockouts for the first time on only their second finals outing and first since they previously appeared as Zaire in West Germany in 1974, where they went winless and lost 9-0 to Yugoslavia.
Sebastien Desabre’s side proved their quality by holding Portugal to an opening 1-1 draw in a tough-looking Group K – sealing a maiden World Cup point – and were only narrowly edged out by group winners Colombia 1-0 following a 3-1 come-from-behind victory against debutants Uzbekistan.
They ended up finishing behind both Colombia and Portugal, but easily progressed after topping the third-place table.
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