The Democratic Republic of the Congo beat Uzbekistan 3–1 on June 27, 2026, to qualify for the World Cup knockout stage for the first time. Yoane Wissa scored twice in Atlanta as the Congolese recovered from an early deficit and advanced to a last-32 match against England.

Uzbekistan captain Eldor Shomurodov gave his team the lead in the 11th minute, lifting the ball over goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi from a narrow angle. Shomurodov had found the net after about 30 seconds as well, but that effort was ruled out for offside. Uzbekistan needed a large goal-difference swing to progress and entered the match with only a remote chance.

DR Congo initially appeared to equalise through Nathanaël Mbuku, whose shot reached the top corner. A video review instead identified a foul on Sherzod Nasrullaev during the buildup and disallowed the goal. The decision left the Congolese behind until Abdukodir Khusanov challenged Wissa in the penalty area.

Wissa converted the resulting penalty, sending goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov the wrong way. Two minutes later, Meschack Elia’s deflected effort slowed in front of goal and Fiston Mayele reached it before Nematov to put DR Congo ahead. A crowd of nearly 70,000, with strong Congolese support, celebrated the turnaround.

Wissa completed the scoring in stoppage time by curling a shot into the far corner from the edge of the area. It was his third goal of the tournament. The result was DR Congo’s first World Cup match victory and supplied the points needed to move from the group phase into the expanded competition’s round of 32.

Coach Sébastien Desabre said preparation for England would begin immediately. He noted that several members of his squad played for English clubs and could contribute familiarity, but did not present that experience as a prediction of the next match’s outcome. Uzbekistan coach Fabio Cannavaro said his players were suffering after giving everything in their debut World Cup campaign.

The Congolese advance also formed part of a strong tournament for African teams. At the time of the result, only Tunisia among the 10 African entrants had been eliminated, while Algeria still had a chance to join eight already through to the last 32. For DR Congo, however, the June 27 significance was specific: a first win, a first knockout qualification and an assured meeting with England, achieved through three unanswered goals after Uzbekistan’s fast start.