How England’s last 32 opponents have been given funny nickname by World Cup fans

England have a World Cup appointment with ‘Doctor Congo’ this week.

The Three Lions booked their ticket to the knockout phase of the World Cup at the weekend and will face the Democratic Republic of Congo next.

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However, the internet has dubbed the African nation with a different name ahead of the high-tension fixture.

Before the tournament kicked-off, videos appeared on social media of fans misreading the abbreviated version DR Congo as if it were a medical title at first glance.

The Doctor is in

The two teams are pitted against each other for their first-ever meeting, and football fans simply couldn’t resist the temptation of using the newfound nickname.

However, England would be incredibly foolish to treat this matchup like a routine check-up.

DR Congo have proved to be one of the most stubborn teams and ripped up the tournament script in their opening match, holding European heavyweights Portugal to a draw.

Despite this, Sebastien Desabre’s side entered the tournament facing immense disruption after an Ebola outbreak in the country which forced the team to cancel their domestic training camps.

The Congolese squad had to spend three weeks in quarantine in Belgium before being allowed to travel stateside.

However, the Leopards have managed to rewrite their footballing history after they clinched their first ever World Cup goal, win, and qualification to the knockout rounds.

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The Leopards bite

Desabre has not only guided his team beyond the group stage on the international stage but also led them to a fourth-place finish at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

In recent years, DR Congo have kept 29 clean sheets in 57 games but are yet to at the World Cup.

They have scored four goals, with Newcastle’s Yoane Wissa leading the line after he scored a brace against Uzbekistan.

After securing their position in the knockout phase, Wissa said: “I am so proud, so tonight we are going to try and enjoy.

“Our game against England is next, It’s gpoing to be tough, a difficult game with top players and top opponents.

“We need to enjoy this type of game, we deserve to play against England they’re one of the best teams in the world.

“So I’m looking forward to what’s coming next. I think tonight we shown how important it is to us and what it means to just fight no matter what.

“It’s not easy in our country, there’s a war going on in east Congo and every time we wear this shirt, we think about them.

“So tonight was about showing them that no matter what we need to keep going because we want peace, so it was a special thank you the them [everyone back home].

“We’ve come far from being nothing, to being here.”

So England, the doctor will see you now.