England’s World Cup last-32 opponents CONFIRMED: Three Lions will face DR Congo after topping Group L
England will face the Democratic Republic of Congo in Atlanta on Wednesday to reach the last 16 of the World Cup.
Thomas Tuchel’s side beat Panama 2-0 on Saturday to move top of Group L but face a wait to discover their opponents in the last 32.
They knew they would face one of the third-placed sides in another group and had the Central African nation lost or drawn against Uzbekistan, England would likely have faced Senegal.
But the World Cup minnows, who sparked a second-half comeback including two goals from Newcastle’s Yoane Wissa, came away with a 3-1 victory and finished third in their group behind Colombia and Portugal.
The shootout kicks off at 5pm on Wednesday and is sure to garner plenty of viewers at home.
England, 42 places ahead of their rivals in fourth place in the FIFA world rankings, will be favorites and have now avoided a tough test in Senegal, which will play Belgium.
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England, who rose to the top of Group L by beating Panama, will face a tough test against the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 32nd Round match.
Papa Thiaw’s team defeated England 3-1 in the friendly match played in Nottingham last June. Then Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr was also among the scorers and she has already scored three goals in this World Cup.
After the defeat at the City Ground, England forward Harry Kane said: ‘We got a penalty. ‘We were playing against a good side.’
Senegal, known as the Lions of Teranga, also won the Africa Cup of Nations in January before leaving the field of play to protest a penalty decision in the final against Morocco.
However, they fell short in this tournament; They could not benefit from their strong performance in the first half and lost 3-1 to France in the opening match, and then 3-2 to Norway. They secured third place by defeating Iraq 5-0.
Meanwhile, DR Congo exceeded expectations in their second World Cup in the United States; They drew Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal in their opening match, then narrowly lost to Colombia.
As well as Wissa, they also boast other English-based stars such as Sunderland defender Arthur Masuaku and former Manchester United defenders Aaron Wan-Bissaka (now at West Ham) and Axel Tuanzebe, now at Burnley.
Former Chelsea player Gael Kakuta is also in the squad.
If England can get past the Democratic Republic of Congo, they will face the winners of Mexico and Ecuador in the last 16.
| Set | Played | To win | drawn | Loss | For | Against | Goal difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Democratic Republic of the Congo | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 2. Sweden | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 4 |
| 3. Ghana | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 4. Ecuador | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 5. Bosnia and Herzegovina | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 4 |
| 6. Algeria | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 | -2 | 4 |
| 7. Paraguay | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 4 |
| 8. Senegal | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 3 |
| 9. Iran | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 10. Republic of Korea | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 3 |
| 11. Scotland | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 3 |
| 12.Uruguay | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 2 |
The opponents in the quarter-finals are likely to be Brazil or Erling Haaland’s Norway, who will face Japan in the round of 32.
If the favorites continue to advance, England could face Argentina in the semi-finals and the tournament’s standout France could be potential opponents in the final on July 19.
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