- Recent form: England have won four and drawn one of their last five matches.
- Opponent form: DR Congo have won one, drawn two and lost two of their last five games.
- Group stats: Both teams have scored in two of DR Congo's last three FIFA World Cup, Group K 2026 games.
Two similar-but-different styles should be exciting
England outlook:
England should be the dominant force in this new World Cup knockout matchup at Atlanta Stadium as the Three Lions are enjoying one of their sharpest phases under Thomas Tuchel's guidance. The former Chelsea boss has brought his characteristic structure, flexibility and positional rotations to the England set-up since taking over on 1 January 2025 and it appears to be working as the team have won seven, drawn two and lost just one of their ten all-competition games.
But England's record away from home is not quite as impressive as the overall result suggests and we would have more faith in Tuchel's team if they were up against a poor side rather than a team that is a little awkward to play against.
DR Congo outlook:
Sebastien Desabre has had the same effect on DR Congo since he took over on 8 August 2022 and given both sides play with a clear, pragmatic identity at this moment in time, it could be an intriguing matchup.
DR Congo can be dangerous in transition
Tuchel's side like to play a balance-first game where pressing is triggered by the ball, and they have the high-quality, high-intensity athletes to cover a lot of ground quickly.
DR Congo will sit compact and defend narrow, but also spring forward quickly when the game opens up. Les Leopards play a base 4-3-3 system, which can transition into a back five when they are under pressure, and are good at absorbing pressure in their own half and hitting directly over the top. England's 4-2-3-1 can also morph into a formation with three at the back in possession and should have enough to overload the half-spaces.
But we fancy DR Congo to make England work for this win and we don't think this will be a one-way game because Les Leopards are quick enough to create some problems on the counter attack and good enough in the air to be dangerous from set-pieces.
England can squeeze this one out
DR Congo's all-competition record of four wins, three draws and three defeats from their last ten games has a steady rather than spectacular feel to it, but they have shown enough grit and bite in FIFA World Cup, Group K 2026 so far to suggest they won't be pushed around by England. Their results have been a 1-1 draw away to Portugal, a 1-0 away defeat to Colombia and a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan, which suggests they can mix it with the best and will have enough to make this game uncomfortable for England.
England's form is better than DR Congo's with four wins and a draw from the last five, but Les Leopards have already shown they can put a scare into Portugal and we fancy them to do likewise against the English. England will win if they get going, but we're not backing them to get out of first gear just yet.
- England come into this game as the clear favorites at 1.29, but the draw at 5.0 is worth a bet in this potential cup-tie scenario if DR Congo can keep it tight.
- We don't see the Three Lions running riot, so BTTS – No at 1.49 is the preferred angle here.
- Yoane Wissa has supplied three goals in DR Congo's last five and they have hit five in total, while Harry Kane has scored two of England's six goals during the same period.
