England Faces DR Congo in World Cup Knockout Stage

England’s World Cup now starts for real. After an uneven stroll through Group L, the Three Lions arrive in Atlanta on Wednesday night knowing there is no more room for shadow-boxing. DR Congo, the sharpest of the third-place qualifiers, stand between them and the last 16 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

This is the stage where reputations harden or crack. England topped their group, but not many back home are talking about them as if they’ve already booked a place deep into July. The question hanging over this side is simple: can a squad loaded with individual quality finally look like a ruthless tournament team?

Right-back roulette and a reshaped defence

The build-up has been dominated by one position. Right-back has turned into a revolving door.

Reece James, who arrived in the United States as first choice, saw his World Cup effectively end with a hamstring injury that kept him out of the Panama game. Jarell Quansah, the next man up, then rolled his ankle during that match. Thomas Tuchel played down the severity afterwards, calling it “a matter of days”, but knockout football does not wait for anyone’s recovery schedule.

Quansah is unlikely to be risked. England cannot gamble a last-32 tie on a defender who is anything less than fully fit. That opens the door for Djed Spence, who came on in New Jersey and now looks set for the biggest night of his international career. He is expected to start on the right of a back four that otherwise stays intact: Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi in the middle, Nico O’Reilly at left-back, Jordan Pickford behind them.

It is a back line that has looked composed in spells, but not yet truly stretched. DR Congo, direct and dangerous in transition, will test its concentration and pace in a way the group stage rarely did.

Rice returns, balance restored

The more reassuring news for England lies in midfield. Declan Rice is back.

The Arsenal midfielder sat out the Panama match to protect a calf problem picked up in the draw with Ghana. England missed his authority. With him, they have a shield and a launchpad; without him, they looked looser, easier to run through.

Rice is expected to start in Atlanta, slotting in alongside Elliot Anderson. That pairing gives Tuchel the double pivot he trusts most at this tournament, with Kobbie Mainoo again likely to watch the opening exchanges from the bench. Anderson’s energy and Rice’s control offer the platform for the stars ahead of them to roam and damage.

And at the tip of that structure sits the man who has defined England’s campaign so far.

Bellingham the difference-maker

Jude Bellingham continues in the No 10 role and has been England’s most decisive figure. When the group stage wobbled, he steadied it. His interventions against Croatia and Panama came when the tension was rising, the sort of moments that separate contenders from passengers.

He plays with the authority of someone who expects to dominate nights like this. Against DR Congo, his ability to find pockets of space, ride challenges and drive at a retreating defence could tilt the tie.

On the flanks, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford keep their places. Saka is nursing the same Achilles issue that shadowed his season with Arsenal, but he is still expected to start on the right, cutting in to combine with Bellingham and Spence. Rashford, having edged out Anthony Gordon on the left, has another chance to turn a solid tournament into a statement one.

Up front, the picture is familiar: Harry Kane, three goals already, locked in on the Golden Boot. Group-stage goals are nice; knockout goals define careers. Kane knows that as well as anyone in this squad.

England’s likely shape

Tuchel is not expected to deviate from the 4-2-3-1 that has underpinned England’s campaign.

Probable XI: Pickford; Spence, Konsa, Guehi, O’Reilly; Anderson, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Rashford; Kane.

On paper, it is a side with control, incision and goals. On the pitch, it still has to prove it can impose itself from the first whistle of a knockout tie, not wait to be provoked into life.

DR Congo: awkward, dangerous, underestimated

DR Congo arrive as the highest-ranked of the third-placed qualifiers, a tag that usually belongs to a side nobody really wants to face. They are not here by accident. They counter quickly, compete physically and have enough quality to punish lapses.

For England, this is the classic World Cup trap: a game they are expected to win, against opponents who have nothing to lose and plenty of chaos in their game. Lose the duels, switch off on one set piece, and the tournament can be over in a heartbeat.

Kick-off, broadcast, and what’s at stake

The match kicks off at 17:00 BST on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, under the roof in Atlanta. Viewers in the UK can watch it live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

England arrive with questions to answer and a route to the last 16 there for them if they finally click. This is the moment for Tuchel’s side to stop talking about potential and start behaving like a team that truly believes it can own this World Cup.