Wayne Rooney: "If we play like this, how can England win the 2026 World Cup?"

The 2-1 comeback win against DR Congo booked England's spot in the World Cup 2026 Round of 16, yet the display from Tuchel's team has caused concern for former star Wayne Rooney.

Rooney warns England may struggle to win the 2026 World Cup

England needed a late double from captain Harry Kane to overcome DR Congo in the round of 32. While the result is what matters most, Rooney believes the performance exposed too many issues.

Speaking to BBC after the match, the former Manchester United striker gave a frank assessment: "In my opinion, there are many worrying signs. Of course, everyone is happy that England have advanced, but every time we lost possession, we left too much space. If we face a stronger opponent, we'll be in real trouble if we don't sort this out.

The connection between defense and midfield wasn't good. The two full-backs had difficulties, and Noni Madueke didn't have the game we expected. The team lacks cohesion between the lines and leaves too much space in the middle. That's what worries me the most. Coach Thomas Tuchel needs to fix these weaknesses quickly. Otherwise, England will soon be eliminated."

In the round of 16, England will face co-host Mexico at the Estadio Azteca. This is seen as a major challenge, as Mexico has been in excellent form, winning all four of their matches and conceding no goals in the 2026 World Cup. If they get past Mexico, the Three Lions are likely to meet Brazil in the quarterfinals, before possibly facing defending champions Argentina in the semifinals.

Rooney says England must improve their defense immediately if they want to go deep. Earlier, he criticized Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa for their errors in the situation where Brian Cipenga opened the scoring for DR Congo, and also noted that Tuchel's team "fell short in too many aspects." After the match, Rooney continued to focus on the right-back position, where Djed Spence had an unconvincing performance.

According to Rooney, Tino Livramento's injury left a huge gap on the right flank, and England should have persuaded Kyle Walker to return. "We've seen many players come back to the national team after retiring. In my opinion, as soon as Tino Livramento got injured, the FA should have called Kyle Walker immediately.

Kyle is still world-class and can definitely play for England. If it were me, I would call him and say: 'We need you. Come back and help the team.' If we don't solve this position, we could pay the price. That's what really worries me."

Despite pointing out many issues, Rooney still had special praise for Harry Kane, who scored both goals to help England come back, bringing his total to 13 goals in World Cups. "Kane's header was good, but the second goal was even better. He is simply a world-class player. The top stars are all shining at this World Cup, and Harry Kane is England's superstar, our hero.

The team still has a lot to improve, especially in midfield and defense. But the most important thing in football is to advance, and once again Harry Kane did that," Rooney concluded.

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