Three Lions ‘nervous’ at World Cup 2026, admits Tuchel – as boss promises match will not be a draw or ‘glamorous’ and praises ‘very emotional’ Pickford

England head coach Thomas Tuchel believes DR Congo are “incredibly dangerous” and “ready to do anything to make our lives miserable” in his first knockout match in international football in the last 32 of the World Cup 2026 on Wednesday.

Tuchel expects the Leopards, who drew with Portugal, lost to Colombia and beat Uzbekistan during the group stage, to be “pretty much a copy” of Ghana, who held his side to a 0-0 draw, and Panama, who were level until the 61st minute of England’s 2-0 win over them on matchday three.

“There is no percent of over-confidence for this game,” said Tuchel, making a “promise” that the result will not be a draw.

“Of course we are nervous and of course we feel the pressure.”

World Cup 2026: DR Congo ‘ready to do anything’ vs England

England impressed in their 4-2 win over Croatia but struggled to break their opponents down in their subsequent two matches.

“It’s not glamorous,” Tuchel warned ITV, suggesting that more thrills may not be in store in Atlanta and describing DR Congo as “physical” and “proud to defend”.

“They will defend as a unit and they are ready to do anything to make our lives miserable on the football pitch.

“This is not the glamorous part of the tournament. You need to get the results and the wins.”

England vs DR Congo: World Cup ‘pressure’ on Three Lions

DR Congo head coach Sebastien Desabre, whose side advanced by coming from behind to beat Uzbekistan 3-1 with three second-half goals, said the pressure is on England because of their ambitions.

“We see this as a very beautiful opportunity to create another feat rather than simply coming to discover the [knockout stage],” added the former Uganda manager, who guided his current team to fourth at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

“In relation to the history of our country, in relation to the number of people who live through football – whether in our country or, particularly, in African countries – my players carry a lot of hope on their shoulders.

“These are boys who do not leave people indifferent by their self-sacrifice and by their resistance to pressure, because you need it when you play for the national team of the Congo.

“They’ve shown it since the beginning of the qualifiers. Whether it’s the emotions or the pressure of a match, the players have this capacity to be able to rise above that and to put in another performance by being fully focused.”

DR Congo: Desabre on World Cup 2026 path

Under Desabre, DR Congo have won an 18-kick AFCON penalty shootout against Egypt and beaten Nigeria on spot kicks as part of their qualification campaign for these finals, which concluded with a win over Jamaica after extra time.

“During all the qualifiers, we had practically only matches akin to direct elimination,” the Frenchman explained.

“The path for us in Africa was hard… then we had that game against Uzbekistan which was do-or-die, and each time we knew how to clear the hurdle. I hope that will be the case [against England].

“We must play well because an average match will not be enough to qualify at this stage of a competition like the World Cup against an opponent that is fourth in the FIFA rankings.

“We practised penalties because we are professionals. We have a lot of possibilities for penalties; we can also switch the goalkeeper.”

England vs DR Congo: Pickford praises Wissa

England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has saved four of the 14 penalties he has faced in shootouts at major international tournaments, including one against Colombia in his country’s first knockout stage match at the 2018 World Cup after current squad member Jordan Henderson had been the first player not to score.

“Jordan is a very unique goalkeeper,” said Tuchel of the participant in every tournament game for England since 2018.

“He’s very emotional and extrovert on the pitch and very calm and friendly off the pitch. It’s quite interesting to see – nice character.”

Everton goalkeeper Pickford praised DR Congo forward Yoane Wissa, who had a forgettable first season at Newcastle following a £55 million transfer from Brentford but has scored three times at the finals, including two against Uzbekistan.

“He’s a good, top player who got a big move last summer,” said Pickford. “I didn’t play against him [last] season but he was very good for Brentford.

“DR Congo are a proud nation with some top talent and we’re ready for the best version of them, but it’s about us being at our best.”