England vs DR Congo Opta Prediction: The Three Lions hold a 73.9 percent chance of winning.

England's national team enters the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 as clear favourites ahead of their fixture against DR Congo at the Atlanta Stadium this Wednesday. Based on 25,000 simulation runs conducted by Opta supercomputers, The Three Lions hold a 73.9% chance of securing victory within regular match time.

Despite entering the knockout round as the favoured side after finishing top of Group L, England's group stage campaign has not been entirely convincing.

In their final group stage match, England did record a 2-0 victory over Panama. This win only materialised after Jude Bellingham broke the deadlock from a corner kick situation, before Harry Kane doubled their lead five minutes later.

Prior to that fixture, England were held to a goalless draw against Ghana. Even with 78.9% ball possession, they failed to convert their dominance into three points. No other team across the entire group stage recorded this high level of possession in a single match without walking away with a win.

Under Tuchel's management, England have nevertheless delivered consistent form. They remain unbeaten across 11 competitive matches, with 10 wins and one draw. This record is only surpassed by the opening runs of Ron Greenwood and Roy Hodgson during their respective tenures as The Three Lions head coach.

On the opposing side, DR Congo arrive with high confidence after making history by qualifying for the World Cup knockout rounds for the very first time. They secured their Round of 32 place with a 3-1 comeback victory over Uzbekistan, having trailed for almost an hour of that match.

Striker Yoane Wissa is the driving force of DR Congo's attack. He has scored three out of his nation's four total goals at the 2026 World Cup - a tally that matches his entire goal return for Newcastle United across the full 2025-2026 club season. At this tournament, Wissa is averaging one goal every 90 minutes, a far sharper strike rate than his club level record.

Head coach Sébastien Desabre is still finalising his front line selection. He must choose between retaining Cédric Bakambu in the starting lineup, or handing an opportunity to Fiston Mayele, who delivered an impressive substitute performance against Uzbekistan.

Meanwhile, Harry Kane remains England's primary attacking threat. The Three Lions captain has already notched three goals during the group stage, and now holds the title as England's all-time top men's World Cup goalscorer.

Should Kane score against DR Congo, he will equal Geoff Hurst's record of four World Cup knockout stage goals. Only Gary Lineker sits above both players, with six knockout stage goals for England.

Alongside Kane, midfielder Elliot Anderson has also stood out throughout the tournament. He leads the England squad for through balls played (30), possession recoveries (20) and duels won (24). Only Ecuador's Pedro Vite managed to register at least 20 contributions across all three of these categories during the group stage.

England are also expected to welcome back Declan Rice, who was rested with a calf issue for the Panama fixture. However Thomas Tuchel will likely be without Jarell Quansah due to an ankle injury, while Reece James is still not fully fit, meaning the right back position is set to be contested between Djed Spence and Ezri Konsa.

This fixture will be the first ever meeting between England and DR Congo in international football. Previously, England have only faced two African nations at a single World Cup tournament once before, during the 1990 edition when they defeated Egypt and Cameroon.

In World Cup knockout football, England's only prior victory against an African side came via a 3-0 Round of 16 win over Senegal at the 2022 World Cup.