Who are DR Congo? England’s Last 32 Opponents – Tactics, Manager, Squad

Following England’s 2-0 win over Panama in their final group game, the Three Lions will square off against DR Congo in the last 32 of the 2026 World Cup.

But who are they? We’ll look to pick apart what has made them tick so far in this tournament. We will analyse their key players, their head coach’s preferred tactical approach and how England might overcome them.

The game between England and DR Congo in the last 32 of the 2026 World Cup will take place on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with a kick-off time of 5pm GMT.

Key Players

Noah Sadiki of Sunderland is a top player for the Warriors of the Equator. At 21 years of age, he is still a bit raw, but provides energy and technical ability from the heart of midfield. According to Transfermarkt, he is DR Congo’s most valuable player in terms of market value.

Veteran striker Cedric Bakambu is also worthy of mention. Having played for clubs such as Marseille, Villarreal and Galatasaray, he now turns out for Real Betis in La Liga. At the age of 35, he might be slower than he used to be, but now possesses a wily footballing IQ.

Of course, however, we would be remiss to not mention the deadly Yoane Wissa. Despite having led a disappointing campaign for Newcastle United in the Premier League, he has already scored three goals in his first three World Cup games.

Tactical Approach

A high-pressing, high-energy outfit who look to defend and frustrate their opponents, DR Congo are able to nullify the attacking threat that teams present and counter at breakneck pace. Head coach Sébastien Desabre has been in place since 2022, notably leading them to third place in the 2023 African Cup of Nations.

England fans may not initially like the sound of this. Thomas Tuchel’s men struggled to break down Panama early on – and the less said about their game against Ghana, the better.

Sadly, Three Lions supporters can expect much of the same in this regard. Not only can they break efficiently, their backline will offer England precious few chances – their first three opponents, Portugal, Columbia and Uzbekistan, were only able to accumulate a total of 1.87 xG against them in Group K.

They exceeded this in one single game, when they defeated Uzbekistan by a score of 3-1, racking up an xG rating of 2.35 [via BBC Sport]. Granted, Uzbekistan were amongst the worst-performing teams in the competition this year, but this still must be taken into consideration by Tuchel and company.

How England can beat DR Congo

Of course, DR Congo are not invincible. They only racked up four points in the group stage, after all. They even let in one goal against the aforementioned lacklustre Uzbekistan, but it was quite the wonder strike – we can’t really fault La Celeste for this.

As shown by their defeat against Columbia, DR Congo struggle to compete against teams that can move the ball quickly through midfield. England are capable of this, despite the lack of current evidence to support that statement. They must be braver than they have been against their last 32 opponents, or they could face a difficult evening.

Their press can be bypassed via quick movement of the ball – however, the Three Lions must be wary of the counter-attacking threat that they pose. We’d suggest maintaining a centre-back pairing of Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi, as they are far more suitable for dealing with such an opponent.

Playing more narrowly might also help. DR Congo have some strong full-backs in Arthur Masuaku and former Manchester United man Aaron Wan-Bissaka – rather than contend with these two, England should look to play through their comparatively weak midfield.