England vs DR Congo World Cup 2026 preview, team news and prediction

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As rush hour builds across England, commuters will be making a beeline for home to catch the Three Lions take on DR Congo in their 2026 World Cup last-32 tie at Mercedes‑Benz Stadium. Thomas Tuchel’s side topped Group L - not without leaving a few questions unanswered - while their African opponents progressed as the highest-ranked third-placed team.

The Three Lions are the overwhelming favourites at 1/4 with Sky Bet while Paddy Power have 13/1 odds on DR Congo to produce a shock in the round of 32 and a draw is 4/1 with Betfred . You can also find more betting offers at the Mirror Betting Hubs Free Bets offers .

Even before England kicked off against Panama, the Three Lions knew that, thanks to other results on Friday evening, even a surprise defeat would not trigger a disastrous early exit. But first place still needed sealing on the final matchday, with both Croatia and Ghana still capable of leapfrogging them.

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England again laboured through a flat first half against opponents they famously thrashed 6-1 at Russia 2018, but their standout quality told after the break. Harry Kane — becoming England’s all-time top World Cup scorer in the process — and Jude Bellingham struck in quick succession to secure a largely routine 2-0 win.

Tuchel also remains unbeaten in competitive matches as England manager, with 10 wins and one draw from 11 such games so far. Only Ron Greenwood (16 between 1977 and 1980) and Roy Hodgson (14 between 2012 and 2013) have started their reigns with longer unbeaten competitive runs, excluding penalty shootouts.

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England have yet to be forced into a true comeback at this tournament, but DR Congo have already shown they can respond under pressure. After recovering from behind to draw their opener with Portugal, the Leopards went one better in a decisive clash with Uzbekistan.

Trailing inside 10 minutes to an Eldor Shomurodov strike, DR Congo turned the game on its head after half-time. Yoane Wissa struck twice, either side of a Fiston Mayele goal, to seal a landmark victory.

Now appearing at their first World Cup as DR Congo, the Leopards have reached the knockout rounds for the first time. Their only previous appearance came in 1974 as Zaire, when they exited at the group stage after losing all three matches.

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England’s build-up has been dominated by the right-back issue after Jarell Quansah joined Reece James on the injury list with an ankle problem suffered against Panama.

Tuchel expects Quansah back soon, but James looks less likely to recover in time, so Djed Spence is set to start on Wednesday. Fitness permitting, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford should keep their wide roles, while Harry Kane continues his pursuit of Gary Lineker’s England World Cup knockout scoring record.

DR Congo report no new injury concerns and could revert to a 5-3-2 under Sebastien Desabre. That may see Brian Cipenga make way for Steve Kapuadi, while Fiston Mayele has boosted his case to start ahead of Cedric Bakambu — though the experienced 35-year-old could still partner Yoane Wissa up front.

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