England have booked their place in the knockout stages of the World Cup, topping Group L with seven points after draws and wins that, while not always sparkling, proved sufficient to finish ahead of Croatia, Ghana and Panama. Now the real test begins.
Thomas Tuchel's men will travel to Atlanta to face DR Congo in the last 32 – a team that finished third in Group K by beating Uzbekistan, drawing with Portugal and losing to Colombia. The Leopards, ranked 46th in the world, conceded only three goals in the group stage and bring Premier League firepower in Yoane Wissa, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Axel Tuanzebe and Arthur Masuaku. They are competing in the knockout stages for the first time, having qualified under their former name Zaire in 1974 as the first Sub-Saharan African team to reach a World Cup. In January, they were eliminated from the Africa Cup of Nations by Algeria in the last 16.
“England face DR Congo in the last 32, then potentially Mexico at high altitude in the last 16.”
Should England navigate that tie, a far sterner test awaits: a potential last-16 meeting with co-hosts Mexico, one of only three teams to win all three group matches. Mexico have played every game on home soil and will face Ecuador in their own last-32 clash at the 87,500-capacity Estadio Azteca in Mexico City – the same venue where they would meet England. Unbeaten in 12 competitive fixtures since a 2-0 defeat by Honduras in November 2024, Mexico are ranked ninth in the world and have not conceded a goal in the tournament.
Ecuador, meanwhile, finished third in Group E after a dramatic 2-1 win over Germany. They have not conceded more than one goal in any match in over two years – a run spanning 26 games.
The Azteca sits more than 7,000 feet above sea level, an altitude that can cause shortness of breath, increased heart rate and fatigue for unacclimatised players. If England beat DR Congo and then overcome either Ecuador or Mexico, the path to the final opens up – but the air is getting thinner, and the opposition sharper.