Who does England play next? World Cup schedule, bracket path and key dates

Well they were never going to do it the easy way, were they? On Wednesday afternoon at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, England fought back from a goal down to beat DR Congo 2-1 in the World Cup round of 32, but goodness me that was hard work. Brian Cipenga lashed the Leopards in front after just seven minutes, at which point Sébastien Desabre's side were on course to pull off one of the biggest shocks this tournament has ever known.

After Harry Kane was denied a penalty on the cusp of half time, referee Adham Makhadmeh waving away all the appeals, it looked like being one of those days. Nevertheless, Kane scored twice in the final 15 minutes, the winner lashed beyond a stranded Lionel Mpasi before he could even see it — meaning Thomas Tuchel's team did just enough to stay alive.

This tally took Kane up to 13 World Cup goals, of which five have come this summer, surpassing Pelé for sixth on the all-time list. Remarkably, the Bayern Munich striker has now scored almost 12 percent of all World Cup goals England have ever managed since first entering in 1950. This was also the first time the Three Lions had come from behind to win a World Cup knockout game since the final of 1966. Is that a good omen? Here's what's next for Tuchel's team.

Who does England play next at the World Cup?

Next up for England is a classic World Cup fixture: Mexico at the Azteca. El Tri have been ultra-impressive at this tournament so far, winning all four matches without so much as conceding a goal — the first team to achieve this at a World Cup since Italy in 1990.

Javier Aguirre's team took care of Ecuador on Tuesday night, thanks to early goals from Julián Quiñones and a familiar face to English football fans in Raúl Jiménez. Momentum is really building behind Mexico, and home advantage will continue to be key. Ecuador's players were unhappy that supporters set off a lot of fireworks — and we mean a lot — outside their hotel the night before the match, so expect England to receive a similar welcome to Mexico City.

Estadio Azteca is also more than 7,000 feet above sea level, something the England players will not be accustomed to by any stretch of the imagination. The stadium in England at the highest altitude is the The Hawthorns, home of West Bromwich Albion, around 550 feet — which is not the same, is it?

Meantime, el Tri have never lost a World Cup game at the Azteca, winning eight out of 10, and are unbeaten in their last 26 outings there all told, defeated there only three times in 56 matches across the last 25 years.

Thus, while England's squad unquestionably boasts more talent, this will not be an easy assignment in any way, shape or form. But England have won six of nine previous meetings with Mexico, most recently winning a friendly at Wembley 3-0 in 2010. Their sole World Cup clash came in 1966, when goals from Sir Bobby Charlton and Roger Hunt secured a 2-0 victory in London on course to winning the country's one and only major men's trophy.

Looking beyond this clash in Mexico City, it'll be Brazil or Norway in the quarterfinals in Miami, before likely a clash with defending champions Argentina in the semis back in Atlanta. First and foremost, England cannot look past Mexico — and if Tuchel's team play like they did for much of the DR Congo game, that will be the end of the line.

Mexico's potential World Cup knockout stage schedule

• Round of 16: Mexico, Sunday, July 5, 8 p.m. ET in Mexico City
• Quarterfinal: Brazil or Norway, Saturday, July 11, 5 p.m. ET in Miami
• Semifinal: Argentina, Colombia, Switzerland, Egypt, Australia, Algeria, Ghana or Cape Verde, Wednesday, July 15, 3 p.m. ET in Atlanta.
• Final: Spain, France, Portugal, Morocco, USA, Senegal, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Austria, Bosnia or Paraguay, Sunday, July 19, 3 p.m. ET in New Jersey

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