Rooney warns England face World Cup exit unless Tuchel fixes glaring defensive flaws

Harry Kane scored twice in the final 15 minutes to spare England’s blushes against DR Congo, but the 2026 World Cup holders-in-waiting left serious questions unanswered as they edged into the round of 16. Both goals came from substitute Anthony Gordon’s assists, rescuing a side that had fallen behind inside seven minutes and struggled for cohesion throughout.

Wayne Rooney, speaking on the BBC after the match, was unsparing in his assessment. “For me there are big concerns,” the former England striker said. “We are all delighted England have gone through — but in particular, when England lose the ball, they are so open. Against a better team I think we are in big trouble if we don’t sort that out.”

Rooney pointed to a disconnect running through the entire team, from the back four to the midfield. “The connection isn’t great between the backline and midfield, the full-backs are struggling, Madueke struggled. There are just no connections and big gaps in the middle of the pitch and that is a big worry for me. He [Tuchel] really needs to look at that otherwise we will go out.”

Starting wingers Marcus Rashford and Noni Madueke were singled out as particularly ineffective, while the back four were repeatedly exposed by a DR Congo side that few had tipped to cause problems. Thomas Tuchel’s side were dreadful for long spells and, on the balance of play, were fortunate to be level at all before Kane’s late intervention.

England now travel to the Estadio Azteca to face Mexico in the round of 16, effectively an away fixture against one of the tournament’s co-hosts. Mexico have been the standout team of the early rounds, winning every game in the group stage and round of 32 while keeping a clean sheet throughout.

The winners will advance to a quarter-final against either Brazil or Norway. For England, the margin for error has narrowed sharply.