Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- England faces DR Congo in the World Cup knockout stage on Wednesday in Atlanta, hoping to avoid joining Germany and the Netherlands as early exits.
- Harry Kane leads England's attack with three group stage goals, while DR Congo counters with Newcastle winger Yoane Wissa, who has scored three of his team's four goals.
- The match promises tension as England seeks to advance despite inconsistent play, while DR Congo aims to build on their historic upset of Portugal and surprise again.
The knockout stage of the 2026 World Cup has already proven to be an inhospitable place for traditional powers, with favorites like Germany and the Netherlands bowing out in the round of 32 in dramatic fashion. England is hoping to avoid adding a third name to that list on Wednesday afternoon as they face off against heavy underdogs DR Congo in Atlanta.
The Three Lions are once again loaded with star power, but their up-and-down play during group play has left some doubt as to whether this can be the team to finally bring the trophy back home for the first time since 1966. Harry Kane and Co. dropped four goals in an opening win over Croatia, but they scored just two combined across a scoreless draw with Ghana and a 2-0 victory against Panama that was more difficult than the final scoreline suggests. On paper, England should have no problem advancing on to the round of 16, but we've seen this team underachieve in spots like this before — and you know they'll be feeling the pressure should things remain tight into the second half.
DR Congo, on the other hand, are already playing with house money. Les Léopards shocked the world by managing a 1-1 draw with Portugal in their opening match, then punched their first-ever ticket to the knockout rounds with a stirring 3-1 win over Uzbekistan. They also nearly managed to hold Colombia to a scoreless draw before conceding in the 76th minute. This is not a particularly dangerous team in attack, but they know how to defend — and they have a player who knows how to strike on the counter in Newcastle winger Yoane Wissa.
Keep up to date on England vs. DR Congo with the latest score, stats and plays from our live tracker.
England vs. DR Congo live score
Match tracker
Match stats
Match and player odds
Lineups
Play-by-play
Match and team props
Prop | Odds | Halftime Results | Full-time Results |
|---|---|---|---|
Both teams to score | Yes (+150), No (-200) | ||
First goal | England (-475), DR Congo (+475), No Goal (+800) | ||
England goals | Under 1.5 (+133), Over 1.5 (-193) | ||
DR Congo goals | Over 0.5 (+140), Under 0.5 (-205) | ||
England shots | 17+ (-115) | ||
DR Congo shots | 8+ (+115) |
England scored a total of six goals across their three group-stage matches, although four of them came in the opener against Croatia. The Three Lions were held scoreless against Ghana and for the first hour against Panama. DR Congo, meanwhile, scored just one goal combined across its first two games against Portugal and Colombia before bagging three in the win over Uzbekistan that saw them advance to the knockout rounds.
Player props
Goals and shots
Player | Anytime goalscorer | Shots | Shots on target | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Harry Kane | -165 | 5+ (+100) | 2+ (-180) | |
Marcus Rashford | +200 | 4+ (+125) | 2+ (+155) | |
Jude Bellingham | +230 | 3+ (-140) | 2+ (+170) | |
Noni Madueke | +245 | 4+ (+135) | 2+ (+150) | |
Yoane Wissa | +550 | 2+ (-140) | 1+ (-105) | |
Declan Rice | +700 | 2+ (+120) | 1+ (+100) | |
Elliot Anderson | +700 | 2+ (+115) | 1+ (+110) |
Unsurprisingly, Harry Kane has done the majority of the scoring for England so far at this tournament, with three goals in the group stage. Jude Bellingham has two goals, with Marcus Rashford adding another.
DR Congo will likely go as star winger Yoane Wissa goes: The former Brentford and current Newcastle forward is no stranger to top-level English competition and has scored three of his country's four goals thus far.
Assists
Player | Odds | Results |
|---|---|---|
Marcus Rashford | 1+ (+260) | |
Declan Rice | 1+ (+265) | |
Harry Kane | 1+ (+290) | |
Jude Bellingham | 1+ (+295) | |
Djed Spence | 1+ (+330) | |
Noni Madueke | 1+ (+330) |
Bukayo Saka is the only England player with multiple assists at this World Cup, with Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice all tallying one each. Arthur Masuaku and Meschack Elia own the only two assists for DR Congo.
*Props via DraftKings
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