England vs DR Congo Lineups for the 2026 FIFA World Cup – England will face DR Congo in the Round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in a match that is predicted to be an exciting contest.

The Three Lions arrive as group winners, while DR Congo have captured attention after qualifying for the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams.

The match is scheduled to take place at Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. local time.

Thomas Tuchel's side finished at the top of Group L despite not completely silencing the doubts of observers. Meanwhile, their African opponents successfully qualified as one of the highest-ranked third-placed teams.

Before the match begins, take a look at Mansion Sports' prediction for the England vs DR Congo lineups for the 2026 FIFA World Cup below.

Team News Ahead of the Match

England

Before the Panama vs England match kicked off, The Three Lions already knew that even if they suffered a shock defeat, the result would not eliminate them because the outcomes of the other group-stage matches had worked in their favor.

Nevertheless, first place in Group L still had to be secured in the final match, as Croatia and Ghana still had the opportunity to overtake England.

In that match, Thomas Tuchel's side once again delivered an unconvincing first-half performance against Panama, a team they had defeated 6–1 at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

However, the quality of England's star players ultimately made the difference in the second half. Harry Kane, now England's all-time leading FIFA World Cup goalscorer, together with Jude Bellingham, scored within a short period to secure a relatively comfortable 2–0 victory.

England's performances in Group L cannot yet be described as perfect. However, very few nations have managed to produce flawless performances throughout their journey to winning the FIFA World Cup.

Only Uruguay in 1930, Italy in 1938, Brazil in 1970, and Brazil in 2002 managed to win the tournament with a 100 percent winning record in both regular time and extra time.

In addition, Thomas Tuchel has yet to experience defeat in a competitive match since taking charge of England. From 11 official matches excluding friendlies, he has recorded 10 wins and one draw.

Only Ron Greenwood, who recorded 16 matches unbeaten between 1977 and 1980, and Roy Hodgson, who managed 14 matches between 2012 and 2013, have produced better unbeaten records, excluding penalty shootouts.

DR Congo

England have never trailed in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In contrast, DR Congo demonstrated remarkable resilience by coming from behind against Uzbekistan.

After falling behind 1–0 within the opening 10 minutes through a goal from Eldor Shomurodov, The Leopards produced an outstanding second-half performance. Yoane Wissa scored twice, with Fiston Mayele adding another goal between them to create a new chapter in their nation's football history.

Competing in the FIFA World Cup for the first time under the name DR Congo, The Leopards have finally reached the knockout stage for the first time. Previously, when competing as Zaire at the 1974 FIFA World Cup, they were eliminated in the group stage after suffering three defeats.

Sebastien Desabre's side finished just one point behind Portugal and qualified as one of the best third-placed teams with four points and a positive goal difference.

If DR Congo can produce a major upset by defeating England in the first-ever meeting between the two teams, they will face either Mexico or Ecuador in the Round of 16 before potentially meeting five-time world champions Brazil in the quarter-finals.

England vs DR Congo Lineups for the 2026 FIFA World Cup

England (4-2-3-1)

Regarding England's squad condition, the biggest concern is at right-back after Jarell Quansah joined Reece James on the injury list following the ankle injury he suffered against Panama.

Thomas Tuchel is optimistic that the Bayer Leverkusen defender will recover within the next few days. However, with Reece James still sidelined through injury, Djed Spence is almost certain to fill the right-back position for Wednesday's match.

Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford are also expected to return on both wings if their fitness allows.

Meanwhile, Harry Kane is now chasing another record held by Gary Lineker. The Bayern Munich striker has scored three goals in the FIFA World Cup knockout stage for England, which is half of Lineker's total of six.

DR Congo (5-3-2)

Meanwhile, regarding DR Congo's squad condition, there are no reported injuries among the players ahead of their first-ever FIFA World Cup knockout-stage match.

Sebastien Desabre is expected to revert to the 5-3-2 formation that he used against Portugal and Colombia after previously switching to a 4-4-2 formation against Uzbekistan.

If that happens, forward Brian Cipenga is likely to make way for central defender Steve Kapuadi. Up front, Fiston Mayele has shown enough quality to earn a starting place after scoring in the final group-stage match.

Nevertheless, Desabre is expected to continue relying on the experience of the now 35-year-old Cedric Bakambu to partner Yoane Wissa. Interestingly, Wissa has already scored two goals at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, more than his entire tally during the 2025–26 Premier League season, in which he scored only once.

This match is expected to be an exciting contest as England seek to prove their status as one of the tournament favorites, while DR Congo aim to continue their remarkable story at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

It will be interesting to see whether the England vs DR Congo Lineups for the 2026 FIFA World Cup become the decisive factor in the battle for a place in the Round of 16.