England tops Group L and sets up DR Congo clash in World Cup last 32

England are through to the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and they did it the clean way: winning the group outright.

A 2-0 victory over Panama on June 27 was enough to put England atop Group L with 7 points, setting up a round-of-32 fixture against DR Congo on July 1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. BST, noon local time.

Jude Bellingham and captain Harry Kane got the goals against Panama.

What England are walking into

DR Congo qualified from their group as one of the better third-placed teams, which is a feature of the 2026 World Cup’s expanded format. This edition of the tournament fields 48 nations, making it the largest in the competition’s history.

If England progress past July 1, a potential last-16 matchup with Mexico could follow around July 6.

The broader tournament picture

Prediction markets have seen significant activity around tournament outcomes. Platforms like Polymarket reported World Cup-related trading volume reaching $1.8 billion by June 18, 2026, roughly two weeks into the competition.

No dedicated fan token for the England national team has emerged in this market. Club-level fan tokens exist across European football, but the England national side’s digital engagement runs primarily through general sports prediction platforms rather than any team-specific asset.

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