What happens if England lose to DR Congo?

Many football fans are wondering what will happen next if England lose to DR Congo in the Round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Thomas Tuchel must defeat Sebastien Desabre to book a Round of 16 clash against Mexico, and the match could be a potential banana skin considering DR Congo impressively held Portugal to a 1-1 draw in Group K.

So, what will happen if England actually lose to DR Congo? Let’s take a look.

Prize money

Should the Three Lions – who are without Reece James due to injury – lose to DR Congo, the Football Association (FA) will take a financial hit.

Those who exit the World Cup at the Round of 32 stage will only receive £8m in prize money – according to BBC Sport – whereas there is £11m up for grabs for those who make the Round of 16. Winning the competition will bank one nation a hefty sum of £38m.

Holiday arrangements

In the event of defeat against DR Congo, the England squad will return to their basecamp in Kansas City, Missouri before embarking on a three-week holiday.

The start of the Premier League season has been pushed back to August 22nd this year, to ensure those partaking in the World Cup are still able to take advantage of their permitted three-week holiday period.

That was agreed by FIFA in the summer of 2025 after global player union FIFPRO released the findings of a study.

However, players can choose to take less time off and return to their clubs for pre-season preparations before those three weeks are up.