England ramp up their bid to end 60 years of hurt on the global stage as they begin their World Cup knockout-stage campaign against DR Congo in the round of 32.
The Three Lions topped Group L after underwhelming draw against Ghana between wins against Croatia and Panama, with Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham leading the charge by scoring five of the country’s six goals. However, Tuchel is faced with a mounting injury crisis heading into the do-or-die knockouts, after Jarell Quansah joined Reece James and the already-departed Tino Livramento on the treatment table to leave the German manager struggling for options at right-back.
England know what awaits them if they beat DR Congo, who scraped through by finishing third in Group K, with a mammoth clash against co-hosts Mexico in the cauldron of the Estadio Azteca lined up after they beat Ecuador last night.
Follow all the latest build-up and action from England vs DR Congo in the World Cup round of 32 below:
No such thing as too big
This World Cup has not exactly been short of shocks.
After tiny Cape Verde held Spain in the groups to whet the appetite, two of football’s biggest names have already crashed out in the knockout stage.
The Netherlands were beaten by Morocco – maybe not an upset given how good the Atlas Lions are now – but what was DEFINITELY a shock to the system was Germany’s elimination at the hands of Paraguay.
Any complacency of the biggest hitters against smaller teams will surely be gone now – and England will hope they’re not the next to go.
Who are the BBC commentators, pundits and presenters for England vs DR Congo?
The lead commentator for today’s game is Guy Mowbray, with Alan Shearer alongside him on the gantry in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The coverage is being helmed by Match of the Day presenter Mark Chapman, with former England players Wayne Rooney, Micah Richards and Joe Hart alongside him in the studio to provide punditry and analysis.
Darren Cann is the ex-official providing expert insight on referees, VAR and the laws of the game, and Kelly Somers is delivering interviews from the England camp and reporting pitchside.
Three hour countdown!
We are just three hours away from kick-off as England sink their teeth into their first bit of World Cup knockouts action.
Think it’s time for some score predictions…
Harry Kane falling behind in race for golden boot
After Kylian Mbappe’s brace against Sweden saw him join Lionel Messi on six goals for the tournament so far, it appears we have our two clear frontrunners for the golden boot.
That’s not great news for Harry Kane, whose tally after the group stage is half of that – not a bad showing by any respect, but perhaps not enough.
Here are how the odds for the golden boot are stacking up, via AceOdds:
- Kylian Mbappe – 1/1
- Lionel Messi – 6/4
- Harry Kane – 16/1
- Erling Haaland – 20/1
- Ousmane Dembele – 20/1
- Vinicius Jr – 33/1
The lofty numbers behind America’s World Cup boom – but can US go where they’ve never gone before?
Twenty days into the World Cup and the figures are in. The main takeaway? A star-spangled soccer popularity surge is engulfing this 50-state land and, so long as the No 1 act is in town, it shows no signs of relenting.
FOX Sports, who spent $485m to acquire the American television rights for the biggest World Cup of all time, have made no secret of their lofty viewership statistics after the group phase. Even withstanding the contrived punditry from the much-maligned Alexi Lakas, the numbers across the board tell the story of a nation gripped by football in an unprecedented manner.
USA’s opening-game triumph against Paraguay, primetime on Friday night, raked in 19 million viewers, topped up to 26 million when including Spanish-language viewers on Telemundo and Peacock. For their other two group games, that total number did not drop below 23 million. For context, Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration last year drew in 24.6 million viewers across all 15 major US networks. And the New York Knicks’ NBA Finals series win, clinched the day after the US victory over Paraguay, drew in 20.6 million per game across ABC and ESPN.
POLL: Do you think Jude Bellingham is judged more harshly than other England stars?
Tino Livramento has surgery after World Cup injury heartbreak
England defender Tino Livramento has undergone surgery after being forced to withdraw from the World Cup squad, his club Newcastle United has confirmed.
The full-back sustained a calf injury just days before England’s opening match of the summer tournament against Croatia.
Livramento was subsequently replaced in the squad by Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah and returned to Newcastle for treatment.
World Cup golden boot standings
1. Kylian Mbappe (France), 6 goals, (2 assists)
2. Lionel Messi (Argentina), 6 goals
3. Erling Haaland (Norway), 5 goals
4. Ousmane Dembele (France), 4 goals (2 assists)
5. Vinicius Jr (Brazil), 4 goals (1 assist)
6. Deniz Undav (Germany), 3 goals (2 assists)
= 7. Johan Manzambi (Switzerland), 3 goals (1 assist)
= 7. Ismaila Sarr (Senegal), 3 goals (1 assist)
= 7. Cody Gakpo (Netherlands), 3 goals (1 assist)
= 7. Julian Quinones (Mexico), 3 goals (1 assist)
= 10. Jonathan David (Canada), 3 goals
= 10. Ismael Saibari (Morocco), 3 goals
= 10. Matheus Cunha (Brazil), 3 goals
= 10. Brian Brobbey (Netherlands), 3 goals
= 10. Elijah Just (New Zealand), 3 goals
= 10. Harry Kane (England), 3 goals
= 10. Yoane Wissa (DR Congo), 3 goals
= 10. Kai Havertz (Germany), 3 goals
