England are among the favorites to win the World Cup and they take on a DR Congo side who have already made history in the last-32 stage on Wednesday.
DR Congo have reached the knockout stage for the first time in their history after finishing in third spot in Group K with four points.
The Leopards have shown they can compete with the competition’s stronger sides after holding Portugal to a 1-1 draw and running Colombia close in a 1-0 defeat, before confirming their place in the last 32 by seeing off Uzbekistan 3-1.
England made a blistering start to the competition with a 4-2 win over a strong Croatia side but that has been their standout performance up to this point.
The Three Lions were then held to a 0-0 draw by a defensive Ghana side, before rounding off the group stage with a 2-0 victory over Panama that confirmed their place as Group L winners.
England vs. DR Congo betting picks and predictions
England to win and both teams to score (+300)
England are the huge favorites to win this game at -370 and on balance they shouldn’t slip up at this stage of the competition, even if they are yet to hit their best form.
There are a few quality players in the DR Congo squad such as defender Chancel Mbemba and attacking duo Cedric Bakambu and Yoane Wissa, but there is no escaping the fact that England are simply stronger in all areas.
Thomas Tuchel’s side have managed consecutive clean sheets but those shutouts came against a Ghana side who were set up to defend in numbers and a Panama outfit who exited the competition without scoring, and Los Canaleros did trouble the England backline on a number of occasions.
In a knockout game, DR Congo can’t afford to copy Ghana’s approach and they will probably have to go for it at some point - particularly if England have taken a lead.
The African team managed to score against Portugal and they do have a fairly solid strike rate having failed to score in just three of their last 21 games.
They can make life tough for England by getting on the scoresheet but the Three Lions can still win this game inside the 90 minutes.
Jude Bellingham anytime goalscorer (+240)
Captain Harry Kane is the most likely England scorer and he is -138 to grab his fourth goal of the tournament last 32, but the value pick is Jude Bellingham.
The Real Madrid midfielder has been one of England’s best attacking players in these early stages of the competition and he scored against both Croatia and Panama.
Bellingham scored eight goals for Los Blancos across all competitions in the 2025/26 season and has been getting plenty of chances at the World Cup with six shots in total across three games.
The 23-year-old should get a couple of chances against the Central Africans and he is in excellent scoring form right now so he can add to his haul.
Yoane Wissa 1+ shots on target (+150)
DR Congo have managed four goals at the World Cup and three of those have been scored by talisman Wissa.
The 29-year-old Newcastle forward has had nine shots on total in the tournament and all of his attempts on target have resulted in goals.
Players who are based in the Premier League tend to raise their levels against the England national side and that could result in at least one attempt on target for Wissa.
The DR Congo forward is +550 to score and that is worth some consideration, but he looks excellent value to register a shot on target.
England vs. DR Congo odds
England | -370 |
Tie | +450 |
DR Congo | +1100 |
England vs. DR Congo odds player props
Anytime goalscorer
Harry Kane (England) | -138 |
Ivan Toney (England) | +100 |
Ollie Watkins (England) | +100 |
Marcus Rashford (England) | +188 |
Yoane Wissa (DR Congo) | +550 |
Cedric Bakambu (DR Congo) | +600 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
