Preview: England vs DR Congo - prediction, team news, lineups | World Cup 2026

As rush hour hits in England, commuters will hastily head home to watch the Three Lions in action against Congo DR, in their World Cup 2026 last-32 match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Thomas Tuchel's men finished first in Group L - without completely silencing all of the doubters - while their African foes qualified as the highest-ranked third-placed nation.

Match preview

Before the first ball was kicked in Panama vs. England, the Three Lions were safe in the knowledge that even a shock loss would not lead to a catastrophic elimination, thanks to results elsewhere in the group stage going their way on Friday evening.

Top spot still had to be wrapped up on the final matchday in Group L, when Croatia and Ghana were both capable of usurping the Three Lions, and Tuchel's side produced another tepid first half against the nation they pummelled 6-1 at Russia 2018.

However, the handful of world-class talents in the England squad came to the fore in the second period, when Harry Kane - becoming his nation's highest World Cup scorer of all time - and Jude Bellingham struck quickfire goals to seal a largely straightforward 2-0 victory.

Performances were far from impeccable for the Three Lions in Group L, but rarely have countries achieved perfection en route to World Cup glory; only Uruguay 1930, Italy 1938, Brazil 1970 and Brazil 2002 have won the tournament with a 100% record in normal or extra time.

Furthermore, Tuchel is yet to oversee a competitive loss at the England helm, winning 10 and drawing one of his 11 non-friendly battles so far; only Ron Greenwood (16 between 1977 and 1980) and Roy Hodgson (14 between 2012 and 2013) have enjoyed longer unbeaten competitive starts - penalty shootouts excluded.

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England have not yet had to exhibit their powers of recovery at the 2026 World Cup, but after coming from behind to rescue an opening draw against Portugal, DR Congo went one better in their crucial Uzbekistan contest.

Falling 1-0 down inside 10 minutes to an Eldor Shomurodov strike, the Leopards turned on the style in the second half, when star man Yoane Wissa netted twice either side of Fiston Mayele's effort to write a new chapter of national history.

Competing at their first World Cup as DR Congo, the Leopards will play in the knockout rounds for the first time ever, having crashed out of the 1974 tournament in the group stage - as Zaire - with three losses to their name.

 

DR Congo

FIFA Ranking 46

Participations 1

Best Result Group stage

Our Prediction Groups

All-time legend

Chancel Mbemba, the Lille centre-back and captain with over 100 caps, is the backbone of the current team and commands enormous respect domestically. His willingness to prioritise the national team throughout his career places him above Pierre Ndaye Mulamba in the hearts of the current generation of supporters.

Read the full World Cup 2026 guide →

Sebastien Desabre's charges finished just one point shy of Portugal as they qualified with the best record of any third-placed team - four points and a positive goal difference - after being given 3/4 odds to reach the knockout rounds in our World Cup 2026 betting guide.

Should DR Congo stun England in their maiden meeting, a last-16 clash with Mexico or Ecuador is next on the menu, before a potential quarter-final with none other than record five-time winners Brazil.

England World Cup form:

England form (all competitions):

DR Congo World Cup form:

DR Congo form (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago / Xinhua

England team talk has been dominated by one area and one area only - the right-back position - after Jarell Quansah joined Reece James on the treatment table with the ankle injury he picked up against Panama.

Tuchel is optimistic that the Bayer Leverkusen defender will be back up and running in a few days, but the same is unlikely to be true for the injury-plagued James, so Djed Spence will almost certainly start out wide on Wednesday night.

Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford should have also done enough to reprise their roles on the flanks - fitness-permitting - while Kane is now chasing another Lineker record; the Bayern Munich man has scored three WC knockout goals for England, half the total of the 65-year-old.

Meanwhile, DR Congo have reported no physical concerns before their first World Cup knockout game, in which Desabre could revert to the 5-3-2 shape he deployed against Portugal and Colombia after switching to a 4-4-2 against Uzbekistan.

Number nine Brian Cipenga is likely to make way for centre-back Steve Kapuadi if that is the case, while at the other end of the pitch, Mayele has made his case to start over Cedric Bakambu after his goal on matchday three.

However, Desabre should still lean on the experience of 35-year-old Bakambu alongside Wissa, who has scored more goals at the World Cup (2) than he did in the whole of the 2025-26 Premier League (1).

England possible starting lineup:

Pickford; Spence, Konsa, Guehi, O'Reilly; Anderson, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Rashford; Kane

DR Congo possible starting lineup:

Mpasi-Nzau; Wan-Bissaka, Tuanzebe, Mbemba, Kapuadi, Masuaku; Moutoussamy, Sadiki, Kayembe; Wissa, Bakambu

We say: England 2-0 DR Congo

DR Congo have demonstrated tactical flexibility and defensive ruggedness at the World Cup so far, only shipping once to both Colombia and Portugal with their five-man defensive wall.

A glut of England goals is surely off the cards as a result, but Kane and Bellingham need just one moment to make their world-class quality show, and the Three Lions have our backing to keep the dream alive.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.