England vs. Congo Preview
Tournament heavyweights vs Cinderella
This World Cup has had it all. From the superstar players scoring goals like there’s no tomorrow, to the debutante teams pulling off upsets and even advancing to the knockout rounds. This year’s tournament has had no shortage of drama or excellent storylines. Now that it’s time for the knockout rounds, could there be the potential for a David vs Goliath giant killing as Congo gets set to take on England, with a spot against Mexico at their famous Azteca Stadium in the Round of 16 up for grabs?
England got to this stage of the tournament by winning their group, though perhaps not in the fashion that some expected. They won their opener in Dallas with a comprehensive 4-2 win over Croatia (who beat England in the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia). Their second group game against Ghana was a disappointment as they were held to a scoreless draw by the Black Stars. And in their final group game, they labored through the first half, but their talent ultimately took over and they ran out 2-0 winners. Harry Kane has three goals for them at this World Cup, which gives him a total of eleven World Cup goals, breaking Gary Lineker’s England record. But the supporting cast around Kane have also come though when absolutely needed, none more than Jude Bellingham who has two goals so far here at this tournament to add to the goal he scored four years ago in Qatar.
Congo has been a tremendous story at this World Cup. Appearing at just their second World Cup, and first since 1974, the Leopards were not picked by many to go very far in this tournament. But the unfancied squads at this World Cup have done themselves proud as Curacao managed a draw with Ecuador and Cape Verde finished second in their group ahead of Uruguay. But most impressive of these types of teams have been Congo. They got a draw with Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo in their opener. Then, they battled until the very end against Colombia before eventually succumbing to the Colombians superior talent and losing 1-0. In their must-win group finale against Uzbekistan, they fell behind early but dominated the rest of the game to win 3-1. In doing so, they noy only advanced to the knockout round for the first time in their history but were also the highest ranked third place team in the tournament. But facing off against Uzbekistan is a very different animal than squaring up with England. If the Leopards are to have any chance against the Three Lions, their main man Yoane Wissa (previously of Brentford but now with Newcastle, both in England) will need to carry over his form from the group stage.
When, Where
Date: Wednesday, July 1, 2026
Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
City: Atlanta, GA
Time: 12pm ET
TV: FOX
How They Qualified
England: UEFA Group K winners
Congo: Inter-confederation Pathway 1 Playoff winners
Current FIFA Ranking
England: 4
Congo: 41
Group stage performance
England: 1st place Group L (7pts)
Congo: 3rd place Group K (4pts)
Photo Credit: TNT Sports