World Cup 2026: Scouting DR Congo

In the knockout stages of a major tournament, there is a genuine risk of elimination irrespective of the opposition.

Germany's elimination at the hands of Paraguay - a team that started the World Cup losing 4-1 to Mauricio Pochettino's USA - proves that point well.

England's next opponents, DR Congo, finished their group in third place, beating Uzbekistan, drawing to Portugal and losing to Colombia, but how do they play and what challenges might they pose against head coach Thomas Tuchel's men?

DR Congo face England on Wednesday (17:00 BST), live on BBC One and iPlayer.

Throughout the tournament so far, they have set up in a 5-3-2 formation, a shape that has been consistent both on and off the ball.

Their average possession so far sits at 38.8% which pales in comparison to England's 65.7% - second only to Spain (70.3%). This suggests that DR Congo are a stubborn defence-first team looking to spring counter-attacks on their opposition.

And while this is mostly true, they are surprisingly front-footed in how they defend.

This could change against England, but against both Portugal and Columbia, opponents that dominated the ball, DR Congo pressed high against them from goal-kick situations.

From their defensive block, they look to hold their line higher than you would expect from a team with 38% possession, not dropping into their own box as often.

There is also a tendency for their players to apply pressure, particularly to the player on the ball, and nearby team-mates around the ball.

All of these decisions, although more proactive than simply camping in their own box, are quirks England could look to exploit.

From goal-kicks, we can see DR Congo's two strikers and three midfielders take advanced positions looking to press the opposition's keeper, centre-backs and holding midfielder.

Their wing-backs are tasked with pressing the full-backs and in defence, the three centre-backs are left to defend against three attackers.

They are ready to go man-to-man everywhere, which plays into England's hands.

While the pressure could force an England error but with a squad used to dealing with high presses particularly at club level in the Premier League, Tuchel will be hoping their technical quality does not fail them.

Where England may get some joy is in using wide full-backs in these deeper areas of the pitch. The idea being, by playing low, the marking DR Congo wing-backs have to press across larger distances.

The full-backs, if found in these situations, have more time and space on the ball so we could see England return to playing down the sides of the pitch, through what Tuchel describes as their "wide units" - full-back, midfielder and winger - rotating to pull the DR Congo players out of position, targeting this weakness.

Another key point to note is that Tuchel has built his squad to entice pressure, before "accelerating through the middle third" - a phrase used by England assistant coach Anthony Barry.

The idea being, by pulling the opponent's attack and midfield away from the defensive line, there is more space and there are fewer defenders between your attackers and the goal.

This concept explains why the likes of Elliot Anderson and Harry Kane, at times, launch direct passes from deep into powerful runners in behind, and why England looked better against a pressing Croatia side than they did against a smartly passive Ghana.

Whether pressing high or defending in a block in the middle of the pitch, DR Congo have continued to apply some forward pressure against Colombia and Portugal.

Tuchel will likely be hoping the opposition stick to that plan as his side will look to release the likes of Jude Bellingham, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke in behind.

All of this is not to say that DR Congo do not carry their own threat.

From goal-kicks, they often build up short but in an unconventional manner. Their back three is spread wide, forming a back four when the keeper is involved.

The wing-backs take wide positions and a holding midfielder sits in front. The remaining two midfielders and two forwards' positions are harder to read but they crowd around where longer passes are aimed rather than staying in predetermined zones, which can help them get control of loose balls more reliably.

This widely spaced shape in build-up makes DR Congo's passing more risky and whilst Portugal did get some joy applying pressure to dispossess DR Congo's midfielders, this style of build-up makes it harder for opponents to press DR Congo cohesively because of the large distances they have to cover as a unit.

It would be naive to ignore their most dangerous player too, with Yoane Wissa's ability to read attacking situations and react quickly in the box a big threat for any side in world football.

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