England vs Congo DR Preview: Tuchel's Knockout Test Begins July 1 in Atlanta

[Compiled Wolf]

England face the Democratic Republic of Congo in the round of 32 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on July 1 at 5pm BST. The match represents England's first knockout game and Thomas Tuchel's first real test at a major tournament at the stage that matters. The group stage worries, the slow first halves, the defensive openness on the counter, all of it remains relevant. Congo DR are not the pushover their name might suggest to those who have not watched them: they came from behind to beat Uzbekistan 3-1 in their final group game and Yoane Wissa, who has three goals in the tournament, is precisely the kind of quick, direct forward who can exploit the space England's defence has been leaving.

Tuchel's selection questions are significant. Declan Rice is expected to return after being rested as a precaution against Panama, which transforms England's midfield control. Jarell Quansah's ankle injury picked up against Panama creates a problem in central defence with Reece James already absent. The manager's decision on who plays alongside John Stones will be closely watched, with Eric Dier the likely option given the squad limitations. The Saka-Rashford-Bellingham attacking combination from the Panama game worked better than the Gordon-Madueke combination from Ghana and Tuchel is likely to stick with it.

For Congo DR this is history-making territory regardless of the result. Their last World Cup appearance was in 1974 as Zaire and they did not win a game. Reaching the round of 32 in 2026 is already the best the nation has done. Their supporters, enormous in number across both the United States and Europe, will be in Atlanta in force. The game is on Fox in the United States and ITV in the United Kingdom.

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