Thanks for joining us for another day of World Cup coverage, it's now time to switch to our live matchday page to keep following the build-up.

Here's a recap on some of the topics we have looked at today:

• Mexico party all night after reaching round of 16
• Will the Estadio Azteca continue to be a fortress for Mexico?
• Haaland scores again as Norway get past Ivory Coast
• Mbappe chasing Golden Boot accolade after scoring against Sweden
• Declan Rice expected to start for England
• Who does Tuchel start at right-back?
• What to expect from DR Congo

Don't forget you can watch and listen to England v DR Congo on BBC iPlayer and BBC Radio 5 Live tonight, as well as keeping across all the action on the BBC Sport website.

We'll be back tomorrow for more football fun, including reaction from England and looking forward to tomorrow's games.

See you then!

Jordan Pickford describes England's new belief playing under Thomas Tuchel.

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

England head coach Thomas Tuchel describes the World Cup knockout stage as "the third chapter" in a story he hopes will end in the glory of a historic triumph.

Tuchel explained that phase one of his stated mission to bring the trophy to England for the first time since 1966 was the preparation training camp in Miami, followed by qualification for the last 32 by topping Group L.

"Chapter Two" was satisfactory rather than gripping, with wins against Croatia and Panama either side of a dismal goalless draw with Ghana.

England have now entered dangerous territory where one slip or one below-par performance can bring Tuchel's tale to a painful end.

They face DR Congo in Atlanta with warning signs already posted to the bigger nations that this is becoming the World Cup of shocks.

Tuchel's players will at least be spared this city's brutal heat and stifling humidity by the closed roof and temperature control inside the space-age $1.6bn (£1.2bn) Atlanta Stadium.

England's World Cup quest has so far been a case of "job done" - but now it all goes on the line in the sudden-death environment of knockout games.

Read more about Tuchel's preperations here.

Image source, Getty Images

This is your two-minute warning Robbie. Almost time to put Mission: England v DR Congo into action...

Maths was never my strong suit, but could Thomas Tuchel match Ron Greenwood's record by leading England to World Cup glory?

Five more wins would see them lift the trophy...

England fans gathering in Atlanta would take one more win for a starters!

Mohamed Moallim
BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

England are unbeaten in all 11 of their competitive matches under Thomas Tuchel (W10 D1).

Only Ron Greenwood, who went 16 competitive games unbeaten between 1977 and 1980, and Roy Hodgson, who managed a 14-match run between 2012 and 2013, have enjoyed longer starts without defeat in competitive fixtures as England manager, excluding penalty shootouts.

Victory over DR Congo would see Tuchel extend his run to 12 games and move a step closer to matching some of the longest unbeaten starts by a Three Lions boss.

Thomas Tuchel spoke directly to England's younger fans in the run-up to this evening's game. Here is a response...

Mohamed Moallim
BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Harry Kane has already become England’s all-time leading scorer at the Fifa World Cup with 11 goals, but he could reach another milestone against DR Congo.

A goal in the round-of-32 tie would see Kane move level with Geoff Hurst on four knockout-stage goals at the tournament.

Only Gary Lineker, with six, has scored more for the Three Lions in World Cup knockout matches.

Can Kane add to his remarkable World Cup goalscoring record?

Image source, Getty Images

England are unbeaten in all nine of their previous World Cup matches against African opposition, winning five and drawing four while conceding just three goals.

Victory over DR Congo would also make this only the second tournament in which the Three Lions have defeated two African nations, after beating Egypt and Cameroon on their run to the semi-finals in 1990.

It also presents Thomas Tuchel’s side with an opportunity to respond after being held to a goalless draw by Ghana in the group stage - their first World Cup meeting with African opposition since overcoming Senegal in the last 16 four years ago.

Prudent Nsengiyumva
BBC Sport journalist

England enter the knockouts as one of the strongest chance‑creation sides in the tournament, and the numbers underline it.

Only Norway fashioned more big chances in the group stage, with England producing 13 across their three matches, level with Germany and Switzerland.

The issue is the final act.

The Three Lions converted just four of those openings, a 30.8% return that lags behind the other high volume creators.

Germany turned seven of their 13, Brazil six of 12, France five of 12, and Morocco hit a 50% rate from their 10.

England’s pattern is different. They reach the right zones, they carve out the moments, but the finishing hasn’t matched the build‑up.

It’s the familiar tension of a side that can dominate territory and momentum without putting games away. The chances are there, the volume is there, but the edge in front of goal still isn’t.

England reached the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup by winning Group L with seven points that started with an explosive win.

The Three Lions started fast with a thrilling 4-2 victory over Croatia, a game that showcased what Thomas Tuchel's attacking firepower could do and set the early tone for the group.

The second match, a 0–0 draw with Ghana, was far more laboured, raising concerns about breaking down compact, defensive sides.

By the time they faced Panama in their final group game, results elsewhere had already guaranteed England a place in the knockouts, but they still needed a win to secure first place.

They delivered exactly that. A 2-0 victory, with Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane scoring within five minutes of each other to lock in the group win.

Prudent Nsengiyumva
BBC Sport journalist

DR Congo’s 17 high turnovers in the group stage might not jump off the page, joint 24th overall, but the value lies in where they win the ball.

Their PPDA sits at 17.5, and that number matters: PPDA (Passes Per Defensive Action) measures how many passes a team allows in the opposition’s half before they try to win it back.

Low PPDA means a high press, high PPDA means a deep or mid‑block that engages late.

DR Congo are firmly in that second category.

They sit in one of the deepest, most compact mid‑blocks in the tournament, inviting opponents forward and then pouncing when the ball spills loose.

It’s a structure built on patience rather than pressure, they don’t hunt high like England, they wait for the mistake and attack the space it creates. And that matters, because England have repeatedly struggled when faced with organised low blocks that sit deep, deny space, and force them into slow, predictable patterns.

Lose the ball in the wrong zone, and DR Congo are already moving forward.

DR Congo reached the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup by finishing as one of the best third‑placed teams with four points in Group K, surviving a tough set of opponents in Uzbekistan, Colombia and Portugal.

The Leopards started with an impressive 1-1 draw against Portugal, holding their nerve against one of the group favourites and earning a valuable point.

A narrow 1-0 defeat to Colombia in their second game left them under pressure and needing a win in their final match to stay alive.

When it mattered most, DR Congo delivered a 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan, with the win being sealed by Newcastle United's Yoane Wissa.

That total was enough to rank them among the top third‑placed sides and a place in the knockouts for the first ever time.

Dan Roan
BBC sports editor

Proof that we have a worldwide audience today, with messages from Japan, Italy, Ghana, Philippines and Florida, amongst others from the UK.

Coming up, we have Dan in Atlanta.

Sorry, that's Dan Roan, BBC sports editor, to give him his proper title...