England manager Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that his squad will adhere to the penalty shootout framework established by his predecessor Sir Gareth Southgate when they face DR Congo in the round of 32 at the World Cup on Wednesday.

The match kicks off in Atlanta at 17:00 BST and is available to watch live on BBC One and iPlayer. A knockout tie of this nature raises the prospect of a shootout, and Tuchel insists England are ready.

"The FA has a programme that has been in place for years and we follow the programme," Tuchel said. "We are prepared. We have a process, the players have a process."

What the Southgate method involved

Before Southgate took over as manager in 2016, England had won just one of seven shootouts at major tournaments — a quarter-final victory over Spain at Euro 96. Southgate transformed that culture by treating penalties not as a lottery but as a discipline that could be trained and refined.

The squad practised spot-kicks regularly, aiming to build muscle memory and replicate the pressure of a real shootout as closely as possible. Southgate identified his penalty takers well ahead of any match and publicly assumed responsibility for the outcomes, shielding his players from blame.

Each player designated to take a penalty was assigned a "buddy" who would greet them at the halfway line on their return — a detail designed to ease the psychological burden of the long walk back. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford carried notes on his water bottle with research into how opposing goalkeepers were likely to dive.

After Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho were brought on in the dying seconds of extra time in the Euro 2020 final loss to Italy — and both missed — Southgate concluded that such late introductions left the players too disconnected. He subsequently ensured penalty takers spent more time on the pitch before any shootout.

England's shootout record under Southgate

England have taken part in 11 penalty shootouts across World Cups, European Championships, and Nations League finals. Southgate oversaw four of those, winning three. His first success came in 2018 when England beat Colombia at the World Cup — the country's first World Cup shootout win. A victory over Switzerland in the Nations League third-place play-off followed in 2019. After the Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy in 2021, England bounced back to eliminate Switzerland on penalties again at Euro 2024.

Tuchel warns against expecting a spectacle

Tuchel also dampened expectations of a free-flowing display against DR Congo, who finished third in Group K following a 1-1 draw with Portugal, a 1-0 defeat to Colombia, and a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan. England, meanwhile, topped Group L with wins over Croatia and Panama and a goalless draw with Ghana.

"We face actually a copy of Panama and Ghana in the round of 32," Tuchel told BBC Sport. "This is not the moment now to shine and to expect glamorous performances. This is the moment to go through, to get the job done, to step up, to show individual quality and little moments."

He added that England's best football would likely emerge in later rounds, when opponents are more intent on winning rather than stifling play. "We expect us to win. Everyone expects us to win. So there's not a lot to win except for matching our expectations," he said.

Tuchel also acknowledged the limits of preparation when it comes to the mental demands of a shootout, citing a remark from Thierry Henry. "I heard Thierry Henry say he can't remember the walk from the halfway line to the penalty spot in his first penalty shootout for France — you cannot train that," Tuchel admitted.