Who could England play in last-16? Date, kick-off time and location for World Cup 2026 knockout tie

England will be looking to book their place in the World Cup last-16 this evening when they face DR Congo.

Thomas Tuchel‘s men, who beat Croatia in their opener before drawing with Ghana, had their place in the knockout phase confirmed on Saturday morning when Uruguay were dumped out.

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A win over Panama in their final Group L tie, thanks to goals from Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, saw them seal first position in style.

And with the group stage now in the books, the Round of 32 has been fully confirmed with Germany and Netherlands among the teams to head home early.

Fans are enjoying some brilliant showdowns between World Cup heavyweights much earlier than they would have thought.

And with England back in action this evening, they will be looking to set up a trip to Mexico in the last-16.

Who could England face in last-16?

England’s first World Cup knockout match will take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta at 5pm BST on Wednesday, July 1.

Their opponent is DR Congo, who finished third in Group K and top of the third-place table.

Congo, who have Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Yoane Wissa and Axel Tuanzebe in their ranks, are ranked 41st in the world.

They drew with Portugal in their group opener before losing 1-0 to Colombia and then beating Uzbekistan 3-1 to make it through.

If England win, a last 16 clash against either Mexico in Mexico City would follow.

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That game will take place at 1am on the morning of Monday, July 6 for UK fans.

And the winner of that tie will then face either Brazil or Norway in the quarter-finals at 10pm on Saturday, July 11 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

talkSPORT.com have already mapped out England’s route to the final based on who Tuchel’s men are likely to face based on FIFA rankings.

But below reads how each tie will play out live as the results come in.

World Cup Last 32 fixtures

Sunday, June 28 – 8pm

• South Africa 0-1 Canada

Monday, June 29 – 6pm

• Brazil 2-1 Japan

Monday, June 29 – 9:30pm

• Germany 1-1 Paraguay – Paraguay win 4-3 on pens

Tuesday, June 30 – 2am

• Netherlands 1-1 Morocco – Morocco win 3-2 on pens

Tuesday, June 30 – 6pm

• Ivory Coast 1-2 Norway

Tuesday, June 30 – 10pm

• France 3-0 Sweden

Wednesday, July 1 – 2am

• Mexico 2-0 Ecuador

Wednesday, July 1 – 5pm

• England vs DR Congo

Wednesday, July 1 – 9pm

• Belgium vs Senegal

Thursday, July 2 – 1am

• United States vs Bosnia-Herzegovina

Thursday, July 2 – 8pm

• Spain vs Austria

Friday, July 3 – 12am

• Portugal vs Croatia

Friday, July 3 – 4am

• Switzerland vs Algeria

Friday, July 3 – 7pm

• Australia vs Egypt

Friday, July 3 – 11pm

• Argentina vs Cape Verde

Saturday, July 4 – 2:30am

• Colombia vs Ghana

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World Cup Last 16 fixtures

Saturday, July 4 – 10pm

• Paraguay vs France

Saturday, July 4 – 6pm

• Canada vs Morocco

Monday, July 6 – 8pm

• Portugal / Croatia vs Spain / Austria

Tuesday, July 7 – 1am

• United States / Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Belgium / Senegal

Sunday, July 5 – 9pm

• Brazil vs Norway

Monday, July 6 – 1am

• Mexico vs England / DR Congo

Tuesday, July 7 – 5pm

• Argentina / Cape Verde vs Australia / Egypt

Tuesday, July 7 – 9pm

• Switzerland / Algeria vs Colombia / Ghana

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What are England saying?

England struggled to break down the low blocks of Ghana and Panama in the group stage and Tuchel is expected a similar game against Congo.

“We expect a similar kind of game like we faced against Ghana and Panama and they’re a physical team, a quick team, a devoted team, very disciplined and well drilled,” he said.

“They’re very dangerous in counterattacks, very direct in their approach and not shy to play long balls into the depths to make it a running game and a game of second balls.

“They’re a team that don’t allow a lot of chances, and they didn’t allow a lot of goals against teams like Colombia and Portugal.

“So that’s basically what waits for us – physicality, counter-attack, directness and they’ve already overachieved. I know from experience what it does to a team if you are already in the moment of overachieving and they have genuine belief in what they are doing. That makes them a difficult team to play against.

“We arrive as favourites and then they can play in the role of an underdog, which suits them very well of course, and all this is on the table.

“I think it’s just important to accept these things and then focus on what we can influence and be the best version of ourselves.

“We have the team spirit, we have the commitment, we have the quality to turn half chances into chances and to decide this match in maybe a very few key moments.

“We have the quality, we have the trust, we have the belief. But we respect our opponent, and we accept the situation of knockout football, of course.”