England must play extra match at World Cup after winning group thanks to FIFA decision | Football | Sport

England will be forced to play a round of 32 tie at the World Cup for the first time in their history following FIFA’s expansion to 48 nations. The Three Lions are set to meet DR Congo in the next stage as they pursue glory across the Atlantic.

In previous tournaments, England would have progressed directly to the round of 16 after winning Group L. Yet FIFA opted to expand the competition from 32 to 48 teams to give more nations the opportunity to participate. This introduced an additional knockout phase on the path to the final for every side advancing beyond the group stage. It has also injected further drama, with the eight best third-placed teams also securing passage to the round of 32.

The group stages ended in thrilling fashion overnight as Austria and Algeria battled to a 3-3 draw, with both nations finding the net in stoppage time. Algeria scored in the 93rd minute, a goal that would have sent them into the round of 32 alongside Iran – leaving Austria eliminated in devastating circumstances.

Yet Sasa Kalajdzic equalised in the 96th minute, ensuring both sides advanced to the knockout rounds. England secured top spot in their group with a 2-0 victory over Panama on Saturday evening, though they encountered some issues.

The Three Lions laboured for the opening hour against a stubborn Panama defence before Jude Bellingham finally broke the deadlock. He then delivered an inch-perfect cross for Harry Kane to convert and become England’s all-time leading World Cup scorer.

Thomas Tuchel will have taken satisfaction from securing top spot in the group, yet he has been left with a fresh defensive headache. Jarell Quansah was substituted in the second half shortly after Bellingham’s goal, having been filling in at right-back for the sidelined Reece James.

Djed Spence entered the fray and saw out the remainder of the match, but the England manager will need to carefully weigh up his full-back options ahead of the showdown with DR Congo. Speaking after the final whistle, Tuchel reflected positively on his side’s progress, saying: “We wanted to win the group.

“There is no substitute for wins and we have that feeling again. Three days to prepare the match in Atlanta.

“The tournament starts new again. We had the first chapter in prep camp, then a second chapter in the group and the third chapter is coming.”

Addressing concerns over his defence’s vulnerability, Tuchel added: “We were a bit over-excited and over-enthusiastic to score a third and committed like full-backs and everyone up front. We ended up a bit stretched, which was not necessary.

“We opted for a brave approach; the boys want to play this style. It was the moment to do it and impose ourselves and play a high press. The game management when we were 2-0 up could have been better. I’m quite happy with a lot of details I saw, it’s good stuff to build on.”