England are unbeaten in this World Cup, but have struggled to impress
Jude Bellingham has shone in midfield for the Three Lions
DR Congo has impressed in beating Uzbekistan and holding Portugal 1-1
England, ranked among the favorites pre-tournament, face one of its surprise packages as the knockout stages continue at the 2026 World Cup Tuesday evening. Atlanta is the venue for this last-32 game posing Harry Kane & co. against outsiders DR Congo.
Check out our tips and analysis below as we look at the game from all angles, finding out the smartest bets you can make on what is sure to be an intriguing contest between the Three Lions and the Leopards as both seek to progress to the last 16 and a potential showdown with co-hosts Mexico.
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Thomas Tuchel was appointed England manager at the start of 2025 with one target in mind: win the World Cup within 18 months. He was not asked to entertain or to make it look easy – and at the end of the pool stage, perhaps that’s for the best. In the end they topped Group L by a point from main competitors Croatia, but an opening 4-2 bumping of that same opponent was followed by two performances that lacked the same panache. A 0-0 draw with Ghana and 2-0 victory over Panama weren’t bad results, but compared to some of the other contenders for the tournament they didn’t exactly stand out.
Nonetheless, England have made it to this stage and will expect to pick up some momentum as their understanding grows. Kane has barely needed to get above walking pace to score three in the first three games and Jude Bellingham has fully justified his selection with standout performances in their two wins. They’ll be confident of getting past their opponents this evening, but aware that they need to cut out the defensive errors that besieged them against Croatia.
As for their opposition, let’s first dispense with any of the usual “happy just to be here” nonsense. DR Congo are one of nine African teams to have progressed to this point and they haven’t stumbled their way here. Yoane Wissa is one of many stars in their squad from Europe’s top leagues and, like Kane, has scored three goals to help his side negotiate the pool stage. Two of those came in their final group game and secured a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan, with the other coming in their opener against Portugal, so nobody should be under any illusions as to their ability to live with the big boys.
The questions will be asked, justifiably, about their readiness for knockout football at this level, and they may come unstuck here due to England’s reserves of quality. If they fall behind, they don’t lack the ability to come back, as they showed against Uzbekistan and Portugal. Where they may be found wanting is in their ability to find a decisive edge across what could be 120 minutes against elite opposition.
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The sensible pick at FanDuel is for the favorites to emerge with the result within 90 minutes. It’s just hard to look anywhere else at the top World Cup betting sites even if they haven’t been stellar so far. The presence of Kane, Bellingham, and the ever-improving fitness of Bukayo Saka could all be decisive on this occasion. Also, when it really matters England have shown over recent years that even if it’s rarely thrilling, they tend to have the heft to get themselves over the line when they’re the favorites. We wouldn’t say they’re guaranteed to progress here, but it would be one of the biggest shocks of the tournament so far if they didn’t.
When England netted four against Croatia it was a genuine surprise: had they overcome that tendency to make heavy weather of the key games at a major tournament? Ninety minutes against Ghana were enough to indicate that actually, they may still need a bit of a kick start. DR Congo have enough about them to make this tricky for their opposition and we’d be surprised if this were a high-scoring encounter.
Sure, Harry Kane is statistically more likely, but his price is +205, which isn’t as good as +700 for the man who has stood out more than anyone for England this tournament. Maybe the overall disappointment of Real Madrid’s season tarnished people’s image of the player, but Bellingham can do things no other English player can, and he’s the one most capable of unlocking what could be a tense game with a moment of brilliance.
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