England’s opponents for the round of 32 stage at the World Cup have officially been confirmed after the conclusion of the group stages. The Three Lions will take on DR Congo in the first knockout round of the tournament as they continue their quest for glory in North America.
Thomas Tuchel’s side enjoyed a successful group stage campaign, finishing top of Group L with seven points to their name after wins against Croatia and Panama, as well as a draw with Ghana. England claimed a 2-0 win over Panama in their final group game, which confirmed their place at the top of Group L, and will now look ahead to the next round, where they will face DR Congo.
The match will take place on Tuesday, July 1 in Atlanta with a 5pm kick-off (UK time) scheduled. Senegal looked set to be England’s opponents for the next round but overnight results have meant that the Three Lions will meet DR Congo.
It’s not just England’s match that has been confirmed, with all 16 round of 32 fixtures now set in stone thanks to the conclusion of the group stages.
Several matches had already been confirmed in the days leading up to Saturday night’s matches, with co-hosts the United States set to face Bosnia & Herzegovina.
There are several other notable ties taking place in the next round, including Brazil vs Japan, France vs Sweden and the Netherlands vs Morocco.
Defending champions Argentina will take on Cape Verde, while the Ivory Coast will face Norway in the first knockout round of the tournament.
The draw for England also means that they would face the winners of Mexico and Ecuador in the last-16 where they to get past DR Congo, while there is the possibility of a quarter-final clash against either Brazil, Ivory Coast, Japan or Norway.
Should England get that far, the Three Lions would then have a semi-final tie against either Argentina, Cape Verde, Australia, Egypt, Switzerland, Algeria, Colombia or Ghana.
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football’s Facebook page
- South Africa vs Canada
- Germany vs Paraguay
- Netherlands vs Morocco
- Brazil vs Japan
- France vs Sweden
- Ivory Coast vs Norway
- Mexico vs Ecuador
- England vs DR Congo
- USA vs Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Belgium vs Senegal
- Portugal vs Croatia
- Spain vs Austria
- Switzerland vs Algeria
- Argentina vs Cape Verde
- Colombia vs Ghana
- Australia vs Egypt
- Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now!
Article continues below
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Upgrade your World Cup TV setup with the Sky Glass ‘designed for football’This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
from £4.50SkyGet the deal here
Sky is knocking 20% off its entire range of Glass TVs to mark the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Until June 17, shoppers can upgrade to the Sky smart TV that’s ‘designed for football’ from £4.50 per month when taken alongside a Sky TV and Netflix package.