FIFA World Cup 2026: Ex-DR Congo skipper backs African side to cause problems to England
London, June 30 — Former DR Congo captain Youssef Mulumbu expressed confidence that his national team would “cause problems to the Three Lions” in their upcoming FIFA World Cup round of 32 match against England, scheduled for Wednesday, July 1.
The knockout fixture will see England, captained by Harry Kane, take on DR Congo in Atlanta. This particular match occurs within a tournament that has already seen significant upsets, including Paraguay’s elimination of four-time champions Germany and Morocco’s victory over the Netherlands in the Round of 32, highlighting the competition’s unpredictable nature.
DR Congo commenced their World Cup journey with a determined 1-1 draw against a Portugal side featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, followed by a narrow 1-0 defeat to Colombia. Nevertheless, they recovered impressively, securing a 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan to achieve their first-ever qualification for the knockout stage.
During an appearance on Sky Sports, Mulumbu noted that despite England possessing greater experience, the DR Congo squad exhibits higher confidence. He mentioned a conversation with defender Arthur Masuaku, who conveyed the team’s ambition to reach the finals, a goal that differs from many other African nations typically aiming to represent their country and advance beyond the group stage.
“Of course, with this experience, I think the Three Lions have more, but the thing is that this group is very confident. You know, I spoke with Masuaku, and he said they want to go to the final. I was quite impressed because, obviously, when you see African nations coming to the World Cup, most of them want to go through the group stage and represent, but they want to go to the final. So I am very pleased with them, and I really think that they’re going to cause problems for the Three Lions,” he said.
Mulumbu further stated his support for DR Congo in what he anticipates will be a tightly contested match, observing that recent surprising results in the competition demonstrate the capability of underdog teams to challenge top-tier opponents.
“But we saw as well this England team doubting a bit against Ghana and, you know, we have a fifty-fifty chance. We saw Morocco yesterday, we saw Paraguay yesterday, there are some surprises in this World Cup, so let us just fight and see what is going to happen,” he signed off.
