ATLANTA — Democratic Republic of Congo coach Sebastien Desabre said his squad would waste no time preparing for a Round of 32 showdown with England after sealing a historic place in the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a 3-1 comeback victory over Uzbekistan on Saturday.
The result in their final Group K match secured DR Congo’s first World Cup victory and earned qualification as one of the tournament’s eight best third-placed teams, setting up a meeting with Thomas Tuchel’s England side in Atlanta on Wednesday.
Desabre said the focus shifted to England almost immediately after the final whistle, adding that several members of his squad who play in English football could provide valuable insight ahead of the knockout encounter.
“We’ll start work immediately on preparing,” Desabre said. “We’ve got a few players in the squad who play at clubs in the English league, so they will help us, but we’ll prepare in the best way we can for what is going to be a very big match for us.”
Before addressing questions from reporters, Desabre chose instead to praise the players who have remained together throughout a four-year rebuilding process that has now delivered one of the country’s greatest football achievements.
“Before answering, I’d like to congratulate my players for their work,” he said. “It’s a squad that’s been together for four years, and we have always kept believing.”
He added that the victory carried significance far beyond the dressing room.
“The win means a lot to the country, and the victory was quite wonderful,” Desabre said. “It’s very positive, and we showed a good image of Congo.”
DR Congo endured a difficult opening after conceding within the first 10 minutes, but the coach insisted he never lost confidence in the tactical plan despite the early setback.
“Of course, you are never sure of winning, but what is clear is that we made a mistake in giving them too much space early on,” he said.
Desabre explained that his selection had been carefully planned before the tournament, with several players rested during the opening two matches against Portugal and Colombia so they would be fresh for the decisive encounter against Uzbekistan.
“Since the start of this World Cup, we’ve planned to use players in this match who did not get to play in the first two games,” he said. “To have fresh players provided us with an advantage, and it was quite logical that we should go on and win.”
Newcastle United forward Yoane Wissa inspired the comeback with two second-half goals after DR Congo recovered from an early deficit to record the nation’s landmark World Cup triumph.
Now, with history already made, Desabre believes the challenge becomes even greater as his side prepares to face one of the tournament favorites. Rather than simply celebrating qualification, he said the team intends to embrace the opportunity and continue its remarkable World Cup journey against England.
