DR Congo coach warns England his side have been practising penalties ahead of World Cup last-32 clash

DR Congo head coach Sebastien Desabre has put England on notice, revealing his squad have been specifically preparing for a penalty shootout ahead of their FIFA World Cup 2026 round-of-32 tie in Atlanta.

“Yes, we have practised penalties because we are professional,” Desabre said. “It’s one possibility to win the game by penalties. We won on penalties at the last AFCON against Nigeria and the Ivory Coast and we have a lot of qualities. We can switch the goalkeeper also.”

England enter the match as heavy favourites, ranked fourth in the world compared to DR Congo’s 41st, but the African side have already demonstrated they are no pushovers in the group stage. They held Portugal to a draw and defeated Uzbekistan, with Newcastle forward Yoane Wissa among the standout performers, scoring against Portugal.

Desabre acknowledged the gap in world rankings but framed it as motivation rather than a deterrent. “It’s true there’s a gap, but we are determined to give a good account of ourselves,” he said. “For those who have not followed our qualifying campaign, we have played a lot of sudden-death games where it has been sink or swim and we came through.”

The coach also pointed to his players’ familiarity with English football as a potential advantage. “We have some players who are very familiar with the Premier League and some were even born in England. That’s a big motivation. But it’s hard to find a bigger motivation than to play against a top team like England at a World Cup.”

Desabre showed detailed knowledge of Thomas Tuchel’s side, noting that England pressed high against Croatia and faced a low block against Panama, suggesting his preparation has been thorough. “We have analysed them,” he confirmed. “They have shown they can cope with different opponents and playing styles. We will have to be at our best to beat them.”

One area Desabre identified for improvement is his side’s tendency to concede early. “We have conceded some early goals in the tournament so far, so we have to be better focused,” he said, while insisting DR Congo would not be content simply to participate. “We think it’s a great opportunity to keep making crazy accomplishments rather than just coming here as tourists.”