England Faces DR Congo in World Cup Round of 32 After Group Stage Win

England advanced to the Round of 32 at the World Cup by finishing first in their group, despite an unimpressive group stage performance. They secured their spot with a 2-0 victory over Panama and now face the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) in the knockout phase. This marks a historic moment for DR Congo, who reached the knockout stage for the first time after earning a valuable draw against Portugal and winning their final group match against Uzbekistan.

England's coach Thomas Tuchel made several lineup changes for the match against DR Congo, including the return of Declan Rice, who was rested in the previous game. Jed Spence started at right back due to injuries to Reece James and Jarrel Quansah. Up front, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham continued to lead England's attack, supported by wingers Noni Madueke and Marcus Rashford. Bukayo Saka, not fully fit, remained on the bench.

DR Congo, coached by Sébastien Desabre, lined up in a 4-5-1 formation with Newcastle striker Jean-Victor Makengo Wissa, who has already scored more World Cup goals this tournament than in the Premier League last season, hoping to create an upset against one of the tournament favorites.

The match took place at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta with a crowd of 68,239 spectators and was officiated by Adham Makhadmeh from Jordan. The winner of this encounter will face Mexico in the Round of 16 at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on the night between Sunday and Monday at 3:00 AM local time.