DR Congo Coach: The Pressure is on England, We Are the Underdogs

DR Congo national team coach Sébastien Desabre has stated that London-born Aaron Wan-Bissaka has extra motivation to defeat today's opponent in the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup. The African side, who navigated through playoffs to qualify for the World Cup, also advanced from their group to reach the knockout stage. However, they now face a star-studded England squad.

Ironically, Wan-Bissaka could have been wearing the opposing jersey in this match, as then-England manager Gareth Southgate called him up in 2019. But the West Ham defender was injured and unable to accept the invitation, and he was never considered again. Thus, in 2025, he accepted an offer and switched his national allegiance to DR Congo. A year later, he will step onto the field in Atlanta, Georgia, against the country of his birth.

Desabre commented, “We have some Premier League players who are quite popular there, some of them even born in England, and that’s always a source of additional motivation. But the number one source of motivation is playing against a formidable opponent like England or any other team in the world’s top five. It’s hard to find anything more motivating than that.”

England are the favorites to advance to the next stage, even with the Congolese boasting players like Wan-Bissaka, Sunderland midfielder Noah Sadiki, and Newcastle's Yoane Wissa. The team has a solid foundation to build upon, having started their World Cup campaign with a draw against Portugal, followed by a narrow 0-1 loss to Colombia, where they held their own until the very end.

Desabre now wants the energy from their draw with Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portuguese to carry over into the match against England. “We are the underdogs, the clear underdogs in this encounter,” he said. “England is ranked fourth in the world. There’s a difference, but we showed for 90 minutes that we have the tactical ability to compete with nations like Portugal, so we have our strengths. We know what we will try to do to qualify; this match is an opportunity to achieve something great,” explained the French specialist.

“It’s safe to say we don’t have much to lose, but that’s also a motivation. We are here because we deserve to be at this stage of the World Cup. The pressure is on England; they have a long way to go to achieve their goals,” the specialist concluded.