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 backed his compatriots to "cause problems to the Three Lions" ahead of their FIFA World Cup round of 32 clash against England on Wednesday.
England, led by Harry Kane, will face DR Congo in Atlanta in a knockout contest. The fixture comes amid a tournament that has already witnessed major upsets, with Paraguay eliminating four-time champions Germany and Morocco knocking out the Netherlands in the Round of 32, underlining the unpredictability of the competition.
DR Congo began their campaign with a spirited 1-1 draw against Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal, before narrowly losing 1-0 to Colombia. However, they bounced back strongly with a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan to secure a historic first-ever knockout-stage qualification.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Mulumbu said that while England has more experience, DR Congo is more confident, saying that he had spoken to defender Arthur Masuaku, who had expressed to him the team's desire to make it to the finals, unlike a lot of other African teams, who are just looking to represent the nation at the grandest stage and go past the group stage at least.
"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 added that he is rooting for DR Congo in what he expects to be a closely contested encounter, noting that recent shocks in the tournament show that underdogs can compete against top teams.
"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.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Mulumbu is spot on! African teams used to just dream about getting past group stage, but now they're talking finals. That's pure confidence, bhai! 🔥 England should be worried - DR Congo plays with such passion and determination.
I'm skeptical about this confidence. DR Congo has heart, but England's experience and depth are massive. Kane vs their defense? That could get ugly. Still, fair play to them for aiming high - more than most World Cup minnows do.
This is exactly what football needs! More teams believing they can win it all. As an Indian football fan, watching DR Congo dream big makes me smile 🤗 The shocks in this World Cup show anything's possible - let's go DR Congo!
Fifty-fifty chance? More like 70-30 for England. DR Congo's draw vs Portugal was impressive, but England will be a different beast. I hope they do well, but betting on England is the safer choice, yaar.
Love the spirit but let's be realistic. England's bench alone could beat many teams. That said, after Morocco's win over Netherlands, I'm not ruling anything out! DR Congo could be this year's surprise package 🌟
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