England face DR Congo in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, with another upset in a tournament of surprises possible. Thomas Tuchel will not take the Leopards lightly at the Atlanta stadium.
The Three Lions dominated Group L with two wins and a draw. After beating Croatia 4-2, they looked out of sorts against low-block Ghana, but they put aside some concerns against Panama, with Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham getting on the scoresheet. Bellingham, in particular, have been superb and Tuchel must find a way to get the ball to his creative prop as early as possible and in as much space as possible against another team who will be defending deep.
DR Congo shocked everyone by drawing 1-1 against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal to prove that their first participation in the World Cup after 52 years of absence was not just to make up the numbers. After a narrow 1-0 defeat to Colombia, the Leopards comfortably beat Uzbekistan 3-1, thanks to Yoane Wissa’s second-half brace, to reach their first ever World Cup knockout stage as the third highest-ranked nation.
Only Ghana averaged less ball possession in the group stage than DR Congo, so England must solve the conundrum against arguably their greatest weakness: breaking down a rigid defence.
So read on as we show you exactly how to watch England vs DR Congo for free from anywhere during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
England vs DR Congo: team news
England XI: Pickford; D. Spence, Konsa, Guéhi, N. O’Reilly; E. Anderson, Rice; Madueke, Bellingham, Rashford; Kane.
DR Congo XI: L. Mpasi; A. Masuaku, Tuanzebe, Mbemba, Wan-Bissaka; N. Sadiki, Moutoussamy, N. Mukau; Cipenga, Wissa, Mbuku.
How to watch England vs DR Congo for free
England vs DR Congo is available for free in several countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland and Turkey.
Abroad? Having trouble accessing your free stream? Unlock your free World Cup stream with NortonVPN – more on this below.
Use a VPN to watch England vs DR Congo live streams
It’s the World Cup, and if you travel, you might discover your England vs DR Congo The feed is suddenly unavailable due to geo-restrictions.
Don’t worry, this is exactly where a VPN can help you. A Virtual Private Network lets you connect to servers around the world so you can securely access your usual World Cup coverage as if you were at home.
We recommend NortonVPN. Here’s why:
How to watch England vs DR Congo in the USA
American viewers can watch England vs DR Congo on Fox And Teleworld (Spanish communication).
You can watch every World Cup match on Fox, FS1 and Telemundo, available on cord cutters like YouTube TV (free trial), Hulu+Live TV, Sling (certain markets), Fubo Or DirectTV.
Those looking for a streaming service can instead watch England vs DR Congo on Fox One (3 day free trial). Telemundo is available via Peacock Also.
Visiting the USA from the UK? You can still watch your World Cup streaming for free thanks to Norton VPN (try for 60 days).
How to watch England vs DR Congo in the UK
UK customers are lucky because they can stream England vs DR Congo for free on BBC iPlayer. Live coverage is also available on the BBC One TV channel.
You need a TV license and a valid UK postcode for an account (eg SE1 7PB).
NortonVPN can unblock your stream if you’re abroad today.
How to watch England vs DR Congo in Australia
England vs DR Congo will be broadcast for free in Australia on SBS on demand.
The streaming platform offers every match of the tournament for free, making it the perfect place to watch the World Cup.
Are you traveling for work or on vacation? A VPN like NortonVPN can help you unlock your free stream.
How to watch England vs DR Congo in Canada
In Canada, TSN and free channel Connected TV will broadcast England vs DR Congo.
You can stream live via the TSN+ streaming platform, which costs CA$8 per month or CA$80 per year.
Connected TV will require your TV provider login details, but is also available via pay TV streaming platform To really want to if you want an alternative.
Outside of Canada? To use NortonVPN while you travel away from home to unblock your feed.
England vs DR Congo: Match Information
What time does England v DR Congo start?
England vs DR Congo kick-off will be at 5 p.m. BST / 12 p.m. ET on Wednesday July 1. It will be 2am AEST on Thursday July 2 in Australia.
Who are the teams for England against DR Congo?
England
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guehi (Manchester City), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Manchester City)
Midfield: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
Advantages: Anthony Gordon (Barcelona), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
DR Congo
Goalkeepers: Matthieu Epolo (Standard de Liège), Timothy Fayulu (Noah), Lionel Mpasi (Le Havre)
Defenders: Dylan Batubinsika (Larisa), Gedoon Kalulu (Aris Limassol), Steve Kapuadi (Widzew Lodz), Joris Kayembe (Racing Genk), Arthur Masuaku (Racing Lens), Chancel Mbemba (Lille), Axel Tuanzebe (Burnley), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (West Ham United)
Midfield: Theo Bongonda (Spartak Moscow), Brian Cipenga (Castellon), Meshack Elia (Alanyaspor), Gael Kakuta (Larisa), Edo Kayembe (Watford), Nathanael Mbuku (Montpellier), Samuel Moutoussamy (Atromitos), Ngal’ayel Mukau (Lille), Charles Pickel (Espanyol), Noah Sadiki (Sunderland), Aaron Tshibola (Kilmarnock)
Advantages: Cédric Bakambu (Real Betis), Simon Banza (Al Jazira), Fiston Mayele (Pyramids), Yoane Wissa (Newcastle United)
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Scene |
England |
DR Congo |
|---|---|---|
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Group stage |
Group L: 1st, 7 points |
Group K: 3rd, 4 points |
Can I watch England v DR Congo on my mobile?
Of course, most broadcasters offer streaming services that you can access through mobile apps or through your phone’s browser.
You can also stay up to date with all the key moments from the World Cup on the official social channels on X/Twitter (@FIFAWorldCup), Instagram (@FIFAWorldCup), TikTok (@FIFAWorldCup) and YouTube (@FIFA).
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