England will take on the DR Congo in Match 80 of this year’s tournament as part of the Round of 32 stage. The game is scheduled for Thursday, July 2, at 02:00 AEST.

Thomas Tuchel’s nation topped Group L with two wins and a 0-0 draw, while DR Congo managed to finish as one of the best third-placed teams, finishing Group K behind Colombia and Portugal. In the standings, they were the best third-placed team, statistically.

To celebrate the momentous occasion that is the World Cup, Sportsbet is bringing back its exclusive Super Sub feature!

How does Super Sub work? Well, it’s very simple. Place a bet on select player markets throughout the Men’s World Cup and if that player is subbed off your bet rolls over to the new player that replaced them.

For example, if you’ve bet on Kylian Mbappe to score during one of France’s matches and during that match he fails to do so and is directly substituted for Jean-Philippe Mateta who ends up scoring instead, your original bet on Mbappe is paid as a winner!

Super Sub is not exclusive to goalscoring markets either, it also applies to anytime assist, player to win one or more fouls, shots on target and more, just make sure to read all the T&Cs before locking in your bet.

Quick Picks

Our pick: England to win

Value bet: Under 2.5 Goals

Long shot: England to win 2-0

England vs DR Congo prediction

It’s perhaps far from a surprise to see that England are the big pre-match favourites in the moneyline odds ahead of this Round of 32 encounter.

Tuchel’s side is filled with top-level players who largely ply their trade in the English Premier League, with the exception of a few playing abroad, including Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham and Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane.

The DR Congo have quality themselves, but not to the depth that the Three Lions do. Still, they proved to be more of a challenge than many had anticipated, including holding Portugal to a draw in their opening Group Stage game.

Nonetheless, the odds favour England in this one and remain unbeaten in their 11 competitive fixtures under Thomas Tuchel. We think it’s likely that England win this one and advance to the Round of 16.

For a bit more context before kickoff, the World Cup betting odds are worth a gander, and you can settle a few mates' debates by checking out the all-time leading goalscorers.

England vs DR Congo score prediction

The ‘Under 2.5 Goals’ market has value worth exploring in this game.

England often make slow starts to their games, despite proving to be rigid in defence. Although they were explosive against Croatia, their games against Ghana and Panama proved to be slow burners. They scored just two goals across these games, with a 2-0 win in their final game against Panama after a goalless draw with Ghana.

DR Congo have made it difficult for the teams they’ve played against, conceding just twice, including a spectacular effort against them from Uzbekistan. They hit the ‘Over 2.5’ market in just one game, as did England.

Additional value appears to be in the BTTS hitting, although it appears long. England have kept two clean sheets in back-to-back games after the 4-2 victory against Croatia. DR Congo failed to keep a clean sheet in their three games, but scored in two of them.

They found their way to goal against Portugal, and they have players who can make a difference.

If we keep the view of the BTTS hitting as a long shot, we think a correct score of England 2-0 is the most likely outcome.

If you fancy backing England here, it's worth brushing up on how to bet on the World Cup first, and have a squiz at how a multi bet works if you're keen to roll a few results together.

England vs DR Congo team news and line-ups

Predicted England line-up (4-2-3-1): Jordan Pickford, Jarell Quansah, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, Nico O'Reilly, Elliott Anderson, Bukayo Saka, Morgan Rogers, Jude Bellingham, Marcus Rashford, Harry Kane.

Tuchel is staring at a reshuffle at right-back given mounting fitness concerns in that area of the pitch. Reece James is expected to miss out with a hamstring issue, while Jarell Quansah is reportedly a doubt.

Predicted Democratic Republic of the Congo line-up (3-5-2): Lionel Mpasi, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Chancel Mbemba, Axel Tuanzebe, Arthur Masuaku, Nathanaël Mbuku, Samuel Moutoussamy, Noah Sadiki, Kibambe Cipenga, Cédric Bakambu, Yoane Wissa.

The Leopards have leaned on a compact, organised back line throughout the group stage, reportedly restricting their opponents to very few clear chances. Rocky Bushiri is expected to miss out with an Achilles injury.

Player markets to watch

Harry Kane remains an individual with value to score anytime in this upcoming contest, having netted goals against Croatia and Panama.

The Bayern Munich forward is on three for the tournament, and will be the main focal point of Tuchel’s side as always. But, there won’t be much value in backing Kane, unless you look at him scoring 2+ goals.

England scored six goals in the group stages, with five of those coming from Kane (three) and Bellingham (two). The other was scored by Marcus Rashford, who will have slightly more value as an anytime goalscorer.

England vs DR Congo Match Details

Date: Thursday, July 2, 2026.

Kick-off: 2:00am AEST.

Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta.

Where to watch: Sportsbet, SBS.

Where to Watch England vs DR Congo

For the first time ever, Sportsbet is offering punters the chance to stream World Cup matches live*.

To watch Sportsbet's live streams of the World Cup, you must:

- Be 18+.

- Have a Sportsbet account.

- Be logged into your Sportsbet account.

- Have a positive balance OR have placed a bet in the last 24 hours.

World Cup streaming is available both in-app and on-web. As long as you meet the above requirements, you'll be able to tune in on your computer, tablet or phone.

To access the stream for England vs Democratic Republic of the Congo simply find your way to the official betting page for this match. Or, if you have a bet on the game you can watch from your "My Bets" section.

Traditional World Cup broadcaster SBS is also showing every World Cup match, meaning you can also watch England vs Democratic Republic of the Congo on either SBS, SBS Viceland or SBS On Demand.

*18+ Available to Sportsbet customers only. Conditions apply – see sportsbet.com.au

*Odds are subject to change.