England vs. DR Congo live score, result, highlights from 2026 World Cup knockout game
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England’s bid for elusive World Cup glory continues when they face DR Congo in the Round of 32.
Thomas Tuchel’s side topped Group L, taking seven points from their games against Croatia, Ghana and Panama.
While they thrilled in the 4-2 opening win against Croatia, the Three Lions laboured for long periods of the subsequent matches against packed, disciplined defenses.
They can expect more of the same from DR Congo, who held Portugal 1-1 in their tournament opener and recovered from a narrow defeat to Colombia to book a place in the knockouts via a 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan.
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England vs. DR Congo score
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)
Starting lineups:
England (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. J. Pickford (GK) — 25. D. Spence, 2. E. Konsa, 6. M. Guehi, 3. N. O’Reilly — 8. E. Anderson, 4. D. Rice — 20. N. Madueke, 10. J. Bellingham, 11. M. Rashford — 9. H. Kane
DR Congo (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. L. Mpasi-Nzau (GK) — 2. A. Wan-Bissaka, 4. A. Tuanzebe, 22. C. Mbemba, 26. A. Masuaku — 8. S. Moutoussamy, 14. N. Sadiki — 7. M. Mbuku, 6. N. Mukau, 9. B. Cipenga — 20. Y. Wissa
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England vs. DR Congo live updates, highlights from 2026 World Cup knockouts
(All times ET)
Prematch
11:00 p.m — It’s a bit of a surprise from DR Congo boss Sebastien Desabre, who has elected to go with a back four and match up to England’s shape. A 5-3-2 helped Congo to shackled Portugal and Colombia pretty effectively during the group stage.
10:30 p.m. — Right then, team news. Djed Spence starts at right-back for England with Reece James and Jarell Quansah each sidelined. Noni Madueke starts ahead of Bukayo Saka on the right wing, Marcus Rashford keeps his place ahead of Anthony Gordon on the left. Declan Rice comes back into the midfield in place of Morgan Rogers, shoving Jude Bellingham further forward behind Harry Kane as expected.
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Our team news for DR Congo! 🗞️ pic.twitter.com/eNjGs5VjeD
— England (@England) July 1, 2026
9:45 a.m. — It’s 10 years since England suffered the ignominy of defeat to tournament minnows Iceland at Euro 2016, crashing out at the first knockout hurdle. The decade since was largely one of restoration under Gareth Southgate’s management, as the Three Lions reached back-to-back Euros finals and the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup. Their 2022 World Cup exit against France in the quarterfinals was certainly no disgrace. Thomas Tuchel has been brought in to try and get England to take that final step, but if they slip up against DR Congo it would be a grave national sporting moment to rank alongside the Iceland humiliation.
8:30 a.m. — Since failing to make USA 94, England have qualified for eight consecutive World Cups. Only once in the previous seven have they failed to make the Round of 16, when Roy Hodgson’s side were dumped out in the group stage in Brazil in 2014.
7 a.m. — Here they go again, then. England in the knockout stages of a major tournament. Is it coming home? Where is it? Where’s it going? Answer to be revealed in due course.
Where to watch England vs. DR Congo in World Cup
England vs. DR Congo start time
- Date: Wednesday, July 1
- Kickoff: 12 p.m. ET
England vs. DR Congo will take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. It kicks off at 12 p.m. local time.
What channel is England vs. DR Congo on today?
- TV channel: FOX
- Live stream: fubo, Fox One, Fox Sports app/website
England vs. DR Congo will be broadcast on FOX in the United States with streaming options available on its dedicated platforms.
The best place to catch the match is on streaming service fubo, with new customers able to sign up for a FREE trial.
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Here is how to watch the match in some of the other major territories:
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| Canada | TSN1, TSN4, RDS | TSN+, RDS app |
| UK | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Australia | SBS | SBS On Demand |
| India | Unite8 Sports 1 | ZEE5 |
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World Cup 2026 knockouts schedule
Round of 32
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Sun, Jun. 28 | 3 p.m. | M1: South Africa 0-1 Canada | SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA) |
| Mon, Jun. 29 | 1 p.m. | M4: Brazil 2-1 Japan | NRG Stadium (Houston, TX) |
| Mon, Jun. 29 | 4:30 p.m. | M2: Germany 1-1 Paraguay (p) | Gillette Stadium (Foxboro, MA) |
| Mon, Jun. 29 | 9 p.m. | M3: Netherlands 1-1 Morocco (p) | Estadio BBVA (Guadalupe, MEX) |
| Tue, Jun. 30 | 1 p.m. | M6: Ivory Coast 1-2 Norway | AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) |
| Tue, Jun. 30 | 5 p.m. | M5: France 3-0 Sweden | MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) |
| Tue, Jun. 30 | 9 p.m. | M7: Mexico 2-0 Ecuador | Estadio Azteca (Mexico City, MEX) |
| Wed, Jul. 1 | 12 p.m. | M8: England vs. DR Congo | Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA) |
| Wed, Jul. 1 | 4 p.m. | M10: Belgium vs. Senegal | Lumen Field (Seattle, WA) |
| Wed, Jul. 1 | 8 p.m. | M9: United States vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina | Levi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, CA) |
| Thu, Jul. 2 | 3 p.m. | M12: Spain vs. Austria | SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA) |
| Thu, Jul. 2 | 7 p.m. | M11: Portugal vs. Croatia | BMO Field (Toronto, CAN) |
| Thu, Jul. 2 | 11 p.m. | M13: Switzerland vs. Algeria | BC Place (Vancouver, CAN) |
| Fr, Jul. 3 | 2 p.m. | M16: Australia vs. Egypt | AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) |
| Fri, Jul. 3 | 6 p.m. | M14: Argentina vs. Cape Verde | Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL) |
| Fri, Jul. 3 | 9:30 p.m. | M15: Colombia vs. Ghana | Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO) |
Round of 16
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Sat, Jul. 4 | 1 p.m. | M2: Winner, R32 M1 vs. Winner, R32 M3 | NRG Stadium (Houston, TX) |
| Sat, Jul. 4 | 5 p.m. | M1: Winner, R32 M2 vs. Winner, R32 M5 | Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA) |
| Sun, Jul. 5 | 4 p.m. | M3: Winner, R32 M4 vs. Winner, R32 M6 | MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) |
| Sun, Jul. 5 | 8 p.m. | M4: Winner, R32 M7 vs. Winner, R32 M8 | Estadio Azteca (Mexico City, MEX) |
| Mon, Jul. 6 | 3 p.m. | M5: Winner, R32 M11 vs. Winner, R32 M12 | AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) |
| Mon, Jul. 6 | 8 p.m. | M6: Winner, R32 M9 vs. Winner, R32 M10 | Lumen Field (Seattle, WA) |
| Tue, Jul. 7 | 12 p.m. | M7: Winner, R32 M14 vs. Winner, R32 M16 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA) |
| Tue, Jul. 7 | 4 p.m. | M8: Winner, R32 M13 vs. Winner, R32 M15 | BC Place (Vancouver, CAN) |
Quarterfinals
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Thu, Jul. 9 | 4 p.m. | QF1: Winner, R16 M1 vs. Winner, R16 M2 | Gillette Stadium (Foxboro, MA) |
| Fri, Jul. 10 | 3 p.m. | QF2: Winner, R16 M5 vs. Winner, R16 M6 | SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA) |
| Sat, Jul. 11 | 5 p.m. | QF3: Winner, R16 M3 vs. Winner, R16 M4 | Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL) |
| Sat, Jul. 11 | 9 p.m. | QF4: Winner, R16 M7 vs. Winner, R16 M8 | Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO) |
Semifinals
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Tue, Jul. 14 | 3 p.m. | SF1: Winner, QF1 vs. Winner, QF2 | AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) |
| Wed, Jul. 15 | 3 p.m. | SF2: Winner, QF3 vs. Winner, QF4 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA) |
Third-place match
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Sat, Jul. 18 | 5 p.m. | Loser, SF1 vs. Loser, SF2 | Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL) |
Final
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Sun, Jul. 19 | 3 p.m. | Winner, SF1 vs. Winner, SF2 | MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) |
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