England Faces DR Congo in World Cup Knockout Clash

England step into the sharp end of this World Cup on Wednesday night knowing the questions around them will only get louder if they stumble in Atlanta.

Top of Group L, unbeaten, three goals already for Harry Kane – on paper, the campaign is ticking along. In the stands and on social media, it feels different. Supporters have spent the past fortnight wondering why a squad stacked with attacking talent has so often looked short of fluency. DR Congo, the best of the third‑place qualifiers, offer no room for another flat performance.

This last‑32 tie at the Mercedes‑Benz Stadium, with its cavernous roof and big‑event glare, demands a statement.

Right-back roulette and a reshuffled defence

The build-up has been dominated by one position. Right-back has turned into a revolving door.

Reece James, pencilled in as the starter before the tournament, missed the Panama match with a hamstring injury and is now effectively out of the World Cup. His replacement, Jarell Quansah, then rolled his ankle during that same game. Thomas Tuchel tried to cool the panic straight after the final whistle, describing it as “a matter of days”, but knockout football is unforgiving. Days are a luxury England do not have.

Quansah is not expected to be risked at this stage, so Djed Spence, who came on in New Jersey and steadied things, is set to inherit the role from the first whistle. It is a huge responsibility in a game where any defensive lapse can end a tournament.

Around him, the back four stays familiar. Jordan Pickford, as ever, anchors the side from goal. Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi continue at centre-back, a partnership that has grown quietly but convincingly through the group phase. On the left, Nico O’Reilly keeps his place, offering balance and a willing outlet in possession.

Rice returns, Bellingham drives, Kane hunts

If there is anxiety at full-back, there is relief in midfield. Declan Rice is back.

The Arsenal captain sat out the win over Panama to protect a calf problem picked up against Ghana, but all signs point to him returning to the starting XI. His presence changes the entire feel of England’s spine – security without the ball, clarity with it. Alongside him, Elliot Anderson has played his way into trust, giving Tuchel a double pivot that can both screen and build.

Kobbie Mainoo waits again. His time will come, but not from the first minute in Atlanta.

Ahead of them, Jude Bellingham remains the heartbeat and the headline act. Stationed as the number ten, he has dragged England through key moments against Croatia and Panama, finding the spaces, the passes and the goals when the tension has tightened. Knockout football is made for players like him. The expectation is that he will embrace it.

Out wide, Bukayo Saka continues to fight his own battle with an Achilles issue that has stalked him through Arsenal’s season and into this tournament. He has played through discomfort before and is expected to do so again, starting on the right. On the opposite flank, Marcus Rashford has done enough to keep Anthony Gordon at arm’s length, his pace and direct running giving England a counter-attacking edge when games stretch.

Then there is Kane. Three goals in the group stage, the Golden Boot already in his sights, and yet the feeling persists that he can go up another gear. This is usually the phase of a tournament where his movement, his timing and his finishing start to decide careers and campaigns.

Predicted XI and the stakes in Atlanta

Tuchel is unlikely to spring surprises. The shape is set: 4-2-3-1, with the same core that carried England to the top of the group, but with Rice restored and Spence stepping in on the right.

England possible starting XI (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Spence, Konsa, Guehi, O’Reilly; Anderson, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Rashford; Kane.

Kick-off comes at 17:00 BST on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, with BBC One and BBC iPlayer carrying the game live in the UK. Back home, living rooms and fan parks will fill long before the teams walk out in Atlanta.

DR Congo will arrive with nothing to lose and the pedigree of the tournament’s highest-ranked third-place side. England arrive with everything to prove.

This is where reputations harden or crack.