England vs DR Congo Lineups & Formations Today Confirmed: Predictions World Cup 2026

Chris Beck

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England vs DR Congo Lineups & Formations Today Confirmed: Predictions World Cup 2026

England vs DR Congo: Confirmed Lineups & Formations Today | World Cup 2026 Round of 32

📋

✅ CONFIRMED LINEUPS · WORLD CUP 2026 · ROUND OF 32 · TODAY · KICKOFF NOON ET

Today, Wednesday July 1 2026 · 12:00 PM ET · Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta · FOX

England vs DR Congo: Confirmed Lineups & Formations

Official XIs · The Saka benching & DR Congo's 4-3-3 surprise · Player roles · Betting impact

⚠️ Saka Benched, Madueke Starts · DR Congo Confirm Attacking 4-3-3, Not Predicted 5-3-2 · Bakambu & Kapuadi Both Dropped

Must be 21+ · Gambling Problem? 1-800-GAMBLER · FanDuel Sportsbook

⚡ LINEUPS OFFICIALLY CONFIRMED TODAY · ENGLAND 4-2-3-1: PICKFORD, SPENCE, GUEHI, KONSA, O'REILLY, ANDERSON, RICE, MADUEKE, BELLINGHAM, RASHFORD, KANE — SAKA DROPS TO THE BENCH, RICE AND SPENCE BOTH RETURN · DR CONGO CONFIRM A 4-3-3, NOT THE WIDELY PREDICTED 5-3-2: MPASI, WAN-BISSAKA, TUANZEBE, MBEMBA, MASUAKU, MUKAU, MOUTOUSSAMY, SADIKI, MBUKU, WISSA, CIPENGA — BAKAMBU AND KAPUADI BOTH ON THE BENCH

FIFA World Cup 2026 · Round of 32 · Confirmed ~1hr Before Kickoff Today

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England vs DR Congo 🇨🇩 · Today · Noon ET · Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta · FOX

England To Qualify -850 · DR Congo +550 · BTTS No -230 · Under 2.5 -132

→ R16 vs Mexico, Jul 6

⚠️

Two Real Surprises: Saka's Bench Role and DR Congo's Shape

England's official team news confirms three changes from the Panama win — Declan Rice and Djed Spence both return, and Noni Madueke starts in place of Bukayo Saka, who made his first start of the tournament last time out. On the other side, nearly every preview projected DR Congo reverting to the disciplined 5-3-2 back five that held Portugal — instead they've confirmed a more attacking 4-3-3, dropping both Cédric Bakambu and Steve Kapuadi to the bench in favor of wide forwards Nathanaël Mbuku and Brian Cipenga alongside Yoane Wissa.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England — Confirmed Starting XI

⚠️ Confirmed Formation: 4-2-3-1, With Madueke Replacing Saka

Thomas Tuchel has made three changes from the Panama win: Declan Rice and Djed Spence both return to the XI, and Noni Madueke comes in for Bukayo Saka, who started his first game of the tournament last time out. The right-back question is resolved simply — Spence starts there rather than his natural left-back spot, with Marc Guéhi and Ezri Konsa retained as the centre-back pairing and Nico O'Reilly continuing at left-back.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 ENGLAND · CONFIRMED 4-2-3-1 · TUCHEL

Kane ⭐

ST · Captain · 11 all-time WC goals · -130 AT

Madueke ⚠️

RW · In for Saka · +240 AT

Bellingham

AM · +240 AT

Rashford

LW · +220 AT

Anderson ✅

CM · Tournament-leading duels won

Rice ✅

DM · Returns · +550 AT

Spence ⚠️

RB · Out of position · +950 AT

Guéhi

CB · +850 AT

Konsa

CB · +1200 AT

O'Reilly

LB · +650 AT

Pickford

Confirmed substitutes

Bukayo Saka ⚠️ · Anthony Gordon · Morgan Rogers · Ollie Watkins · Ivan Toney · Eberechi Eze · Kobbie Mainoo · Jordan Henderson · Trevoh Chalobah · John Stones · Dan Burn · Jarell Quansah (injured) · Reece James (injured) · James Trafford (GK) · Dean Henderson (GK)

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England Confirmed XI — Roles, Notes & Betting Impact

Jordan Pickford GK

Confirmed as predicted · Faces a DR Congo attack now shaped very differently than expected

⚠️

Djed Spence RB · Confirmed, out of position

A natural left-back, confirmed at right-back to resolve England's injury crisis at that spot · +950 anytime

Marc Guéhi CB

Confirmed as predicted, retained over Stones · +850 anytime

Ezri Konsa CB

Confirmed centrally rather than shifting to right-back, as some previews floated · +1200 anytime

Nico O'Reilly LB

Confirmed as predicted · +650 anytime

✅

Elliot Anderson CM · Confirmed

Confirmed as predicted · Leads all England players for line-breaking passes, possession won and duels won this tournament

✅

Declan Rice DM · Confirmed return

Returns after being rested/rotated · Set-piece delivery is a key route through DR Congo's block · +550 anytime

⚠️

Noni Madueke RW · Confirmed starter, not Saka

Starts in place of Bukayo Saka, who made his tournament first start vs Panama last time out and now drops to the bench · +240 anytime

Jude Bellingham AM · Confirmed

Confirmed as predicted · Scored the winner vs Panama, +240 anytime

Marcus Rashford LW · Confirmed

Confirmed as predicted · Board's clear second scoring option at +220 anytime

🔥

Harry Kane ST · Captain · Confirmed

Confirmed as expected · Now England's all-time leading World Cup scorer with 11 goals — a goal today moves him level with Geoff Hurst's knockout-stage tally · -130 anytime, board favorite

🇨🇩 DR Congo — Confirmed Starting XI

⚠️ Confirmed Formation: Attacking 4-3-3, Not the Predicted 5-3-2

Sébastien Desabre's confirmed selection is the day's biggest surprise. Virtually every preview projected DR Congo reverting to the 5-3-2 back five that held Portugal to a draw. Instead, they've confirmed a 4-3-3 with a flat back four of Wan-Bissaka, Tuanzebe, Mbemba and Masuaku, a midfield trio of Mukau, Moutoussamy and Sadiki, and a front three of Mbuku, Wissa and Cipenga. Most notably, veteran striker Cédric Bakambu — who most previews had starting alongside Wissa — is on the bench, along with centre-back Steve Kapuadi, who would have completed a back five.

🇨🇩 DR CONGO · CONFIRMED 4-3-3 · DESABRE

Mbuku ⚠️

RW · In for Bakambu · check FD

Wissa ⭐

ST · 3 of 4 tournament goals · +600 AT

Cipenga ⚠️

LW · In for Kapuadi · check FD

Mukau

CM · +2000 AT

Moutoussamy

CM · +1900 AT

Sadiki

CM · +3000 AT

Wan-Bissaka

RB · +3500 AT

Mbemba ©

CB · Captain · +2200 AT

Tuanzebe

CB · +4500 AT

Masuaku

LB · +3500 AT

Mpasi

Bench — notable names

Cédric Bakambu ⚠️ (dropped) · Steve Kapuadi ⚠️ (dropped) · Fiston Mayele · Théo Bongonda · Gaël Kakuta · Edo Kayembe · Simon Banza

📋 A Data Gap Worth Flagging

Nathanaël Mbuku and Brian Cipenga — the two confirmed starters replacing Bakambu and Kapuadi — did not appear in the anytime goalscorer odds set we pulled earlier today, which only priced Bakambu among DR Congo's forwards besides Wissa. If you're looking at goalscorer props involving either player, check FanDuel directly for their live prices now that the lineup is official; anything based on Bakambu's earlier price no longer applies to today's actual front three.

Lineups officially confirmed today via England's official team news and independent match-day reporting · Confirmed roughly 1 hour before kickoff

⚔️ Key Individual Match-Ups Today

🔥 The Main Event

Wan-Bissaka + Tuanzebe + Mbemba + Masuaku vs Kane, Bellingham & Madueke

DR Congo's decision to play a flat back four rather than a back five removes a spare defender that would normally help contain England's front four — a genuinely bolder, higher-risk approach than every preview expected, and it puts real pressure on this back line to defend more space than they've had to all tournament.

Critical

🎯 The Wide Battle

Djed Spence (Out of Position) vs Mbuku or Wissa Drifting Wide

Spence starting at right-back rather than his natural left side is the clearest individual soft spot on the pitch. DR Congo's front three now has genuine width to attack that flank in transition, rather than the more conservative wing-back setup most previews expected.

Game-defining

⚡ The Bench Battle

Saka + Bakambu, Both Watching From the Bench

Two players many expected to start are unused subs today. Both remain live impact-sub threats if their respective managers need a fresh option late — worth watching the touchline in the second half.

Watch closely

📊 Confirmed XIs — Side by Side

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England

Stat

DR Congo 🇨🇩

4-2-3-1

Formation

4-3-3 ⚠️

Thomas Tuchel

Manager

Sébastien Desabre

Pickford

Mpasi

Spence ⚠️ · Guéhi · Konsa · O'Reilly

Def

Wan-Bissaka · Mbemba · Tuanzebe · Masuaku

Anderson · Rice

Mid

Mukau · Moutoussamy · Sadiki

Madueke ⚠️ · Bellingham · Rashford

Attack

Mbuku ⚠️ · Wissa · Cipenga ⚠️

Kane

Lone ST

—

Saka benched for Madueke

Notable

Bakambu + Kapuadi both benched

💡 Lineup Betting Impact — Now Confirmed

⚠️ SAKA — fade any prop built on him starting

His +250 anytime price no longer reflects a starter. Any value there now depends entirely on a substitute appearance late in the game.

✅ MADUEKE — confirmed starter, prop now well-supported

His +240 anytime price was set assuming rotation uncertainty — now confirmed a starter for the full 90, that price looks more attractive than it did this morning.

⚠️ DR CONGO'S ATTACKING SHAPE — reconsider Under 2.5 and BTTS No

A flat back four with three committed attackers is a materially higher-risk, higher-reward setup than the 5-3-2 low block every model assumed. It could mean more space for England to exploit (supporting Over totals), but also a genuine extra body forward for DR Congo, which could support BTTS Yes more than the pre-lineup numbers suggested.

✅ KANE — every prop confirmed accurate, arguably strengthened

Confirmed starting against a back four with less protection than the expected back five — if anything, a slightly more favorable matchup for England's focal point than pre-match models assumed.

FanDuel Sportsbook · England vs DR Congo · Today · Kickoff Noon ET · Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta

Bet With Confirmed Lineups on FanDuel Now

Kane AT -130 · Madueke AT +240 · England To Qualify -850

Bet Now

Confirmed lineups · England (4-2-3-1): Jordan Pickford; Djed Spence, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Nico O'Reilly; Elliot Anderson, Declan Rice; Noni Madueke, Jude Bellingham, Marcus Rashford; Harry Kane · Substitutes: Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon, Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, Ivan Toney, Eberechi Eze, Kobbie Mainoo, Jordan Henderson, Trevoh Chalobah, John Stones, Dan Burn, Jarell Quansah, Reece James, James Trafford, Dean Henderson · DR Congo (4-3-3): Lionel Mpasi; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Axel Tuanzebe, Chancel Mbemba, Arthur Masuaku; Ngal'ayel Mukau, Samuel Moutoussamy, Noah Sadiki; Nathanael Mbuku, Yoane Wissa, Brian Cipenga · Substitutes: Cedric Bakambu, Steve Kapuadi, Fiston Mayele, Theo Bongonda, Gael Kakuta, Edo Kayembe, Simon Banza, Matthieu Epolo, Dylan Batubinsika, Charles Pickel, Gedeon Kalulu, Timothy Fayulu, Meschack Elia, Joris Kayembe, Aaron Tshibola · Selection surprises: Noni Madueke starts over Bukayo Saka for England; DR Congo confirm an attacking 4-3-3 rather than the widely predicted 5-3-2, with Cedric Bakambu and Steve Kapuadi both dropping to the bench · Mbuku and Cipenga goalscorer odds not available in our data set — check FanDuel live · Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta GA · Today 12PM ET · FOX/Telemundo · Winner faces Mexico in Round of 16, July 6 · Must be 21+ · Gambling Problem? 1-800-GAMBLER

Any surprises to you in today's England vs DR Congo confirmed lineups and formations? Bet on the match today! New customers can get 250/1 odds on your $1 Team USA to Reach the Round of 16 Wager. You can get up to $250 in CASH if your $1 bet wins! See here for full terms and conditions. Learn about today's other offers at FanDuel Sportsbook Promos.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.

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