England stuttered to a difficult victory this evening at the 2026 World Cup, facing off against DR Congo.
England were behind for the majority of the game, before Harry Kane put his head on the end of an Anthony Gordon cross in the 75th.
The Bayern Munich and Three Lions bagsman struck again, this time from a Gordon back-heel, with a thunderous finish in the 86th, so, which nation do England face next?
Who do England play next in the World Cup?
For England fans disappointed with tonight’s performance, having came so close to a historic Round of 32 defeat, cover your eyes.
The Three Lions will face co-hosts Mexico next, in Mexico City, who are one of the strongest performing sides at the 2026 World Cup.
Despite having failed to reach a World Cup quarter-final since 1986, Mexico have a trick up their sleeve, and it’s called the Azteca.
Beyond the home advantage, Javier Aguirre’s men have been blistering at the tournament, winning all four of their games.
To make matters even more frightening, Mexico are yet to concede a single goal on the international stage, having won 2-0, 1-0, 3-0 and, against Ecuador in the Round of 32, 2-0.
To put that dominance into perspective, Mexico are the first team since Italy in 1990 to start the World Cup with four clean sheet victories.
That year, Italy made it to the semi-finals, losing to Argentina on penalties, before beating England 2-1 in the match for third place.
To compare, England have conceded three goals to Mexico’s zero, and both sides have netted eight times at the tournament.
In their most recent clashes, the Three Lions conceded 0.8 xG and seven shots to DR Congo, compared to Ecuador’s 0.75xG and also seven shots.
On paper, both sides stack up remarkably evenly, however, it might be wise for Thomas Tuchel‘s men to get some additional sleep in over the coming days, ahead of what will surely be a long night in Mexico City.