Harry Kane’s title favorites England will face Yohan Wissa’s Democratic Republic of Congo in a bid to reach the last 16.
Five wins left. How can your team reach the finals and win the 2026 World Cup? Click here to find out.
Who: England vs Democratic Republic of Congo
Content: 2026 FIFA World Cup – Round 32
Location: Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, USA
Date and time: Wednesday, July 1st, noon (16:00 GMT)
How to follow: Get everything ready on Al Jazeera Sports from 13:00 GMT before the live text commentary stream.
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England continue their bid to win the 2026 World Cup when they face debutants Democratic Republic of the Congo in the Round of 32 on Wednesday.
Having emerged from the group with an unbeaten record, the Three Lions will aim to roar to the next stage.
But with a draw and a hard-fought win spoiling their recent run of form, manager Thomas Tuchel and his team will take nothing for granted against the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who are enjoying a dream run of reaching the knockouts for the first time in their history.
Al Jazeera tells you everything about England vs Democratic Republic of Congo.
How did England and the Democratic Republic of Congo reach the last 32?
England won Group L with seven points. Here is the resulting list:
DR Congo finished in 3rd place in Group K with 4 points, advancing to 3rd place, their highest ranking. Here is the resulting list:
England need to step up intensity against dreaming Democratic Republic of Congo
Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham scored five goals to lead England into the World Cup finals, but questions remain about the balance of Tuchel’s side.
The English side have looked short on ideas in recent matches and at times have lacked the intensity that commentators believe they need to take the tournament in their favor. Nevertheless, they will be hoping that when they face the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it will be the first of five games that will end their 60-year wait for World Cup glory.
The Three Lions are favorites to face the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but face a tough road to the final as they could face Mexico, Brazil and Argentina at home. England have not won a major trophy since the 1966 World Cup.
For DR Congo, the tournament has already been a success and is redemption for their only appearance so far. In 1974, the country then called Zaire failed to score a goal, conceded 14 goals, suffered three major defeats, and were quickly eliminated.
This time, the Democratic Republic of the Congo finally returned to the World Cup for the first time in 52 years, and had a difficult time defeating Jamaica in the inter-confederation play-off.
Despite their pre-World Cup preparations being affected by the Ebola crisis in their home country, the Congolese players fought hard in the group stage and their efforts were rewarded when they defeated Uzbekistan 3-2 with a double from Yohan Ouissa to claim their first World Cup victory.
England vs Democratic Republic of the Congo predictions
Opta’s supercomputer calculated that England had a 73.9% chance of winning the match in regulation time, and rated the Democratic Republic of Congo’s chance of victory at 11.3%.
There is a 14.8% chance that extra time or a penalty will be called.
England vs Democratic Republic of the Congo: Kick-off time, TV channel
UK: BBC One, BBC iPlayer (5pm BDT) Democratic Republic of the Congo: New World Sport 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 (7pm CET) US: FOX, FOX One, Telemundo App, Telemundo Network, Peacock (10am EDT)
To see the TV listings for your country, visit the FIFA TV listings schedule here.
Who will the winner face in the round of 16?
The winner of England vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo will face either Ecuador or Mexico in the last 16.
England vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo: Head-to-head
Wednesday’s match will be the first meeting between England and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The draw with Ghana marks the second time England have played two African teams in the same World Cup. In 1990, they defeated Egypt 1-0 in the group stage and Cameroon 3-2 in the quarter-finals.
England vs Democratic Republic of Congo: Team news
England’s key midfielder Declan Rice is likely to return to the starting XI, but questions remain at right-back. Reece James missed Panama’s win with a hamstring problem, while his replacement Jarrell Quansah was sidelined with an ankle injury. Jed Spence is expected to start against the Democratic Republic of Congo.
No injuries were reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo camp.
England’s expected line-up
(4-2-3-1): Pickford (goalkeeper). Spence, Konsa, Guehi, O’Reilly. Anderson, Rice. Saka, Bellingham, Rashford. Kane
Expected lineup for Democratic Republic of the Congo
(5-3-2): Mpathi (goalkeeper). Wan-Bissaka, Mbemba, Tuanzebe, Kapuadi and Masuaku. Mukau, Muthusamy, Kayembe. Wissa, Bakambu
