Who: Portugal vs Democratic Republic of Congo
Content: 2026 FIFA World Cup Group K matches
Location: Houston Stadium, Houston, Texas, USA
Date and time: Wednesday, 12pm (GMT 17:00)
How to follow: Get all the latest updates on Al Jazeera Sports
Portugal will be looking to forget the blemishes of 60 years of World Cups as their 2026 campaign begins with Group K against the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Houston.
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It’s England fans who reminisce about the glory days of 1966, but the Three Lions have fared much better than Portugal since then.
Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo wants to write his name into legend by scoring in his sixth World Cup and dreams of winning the only major trophy he missed out on in the last tournament.
Their group stage begins with a match against the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has only qualified for the second time, but they are waiting for their first goal and point at the World Cup.
Will Ronaldo be able to brighten up his career by contributing to Portugal’s first World Cup victory?
It’s been 60 years since Portugal’s best World Cup performance, with Eusebio’s inspired third-place finish in England’s 1966 tournament his first appearance.
Since 2006, they have only returned to the semi-finals once, at Qatar 2022, where they made it through a tricky group and beat Switzerland 6-1 in the round of 16, but were unfortunately eliminated in the last eight by Morocco.
Although there are trophies to show off during this golden era, such as the 2016 UEFA European Championship (Euro 2016) and last year’s Nations League victory over Spain on penalties, they have always been eliminated from the World Cup.
Vitinha, João Neves and Nune Mendes are widely considered to be favorites to win this year’s title, having just helped French super club Paris Saint-Germain win the Champions League for the second time in a row. Meanwhile, Bruno Fernandes shone for Manchester United, registering a Premier League record with 21 assists.
And then there’s Cristiano, who endured a frustrating season with Saudi club Al Nasr despite scoring 30 goals in 37 games in all competitions.
Ronaldo is the only survivor from Portugal’s Euro 2016 victory and is the only player to have scored in each of the five editions of the tournament (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022), which will qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
However, none of his eight World Cup goals came in knockout games and he was absent from the game against Switzerland in Qatar, marking the first time in 14 years that he did not start in a major competition.
His only goal at the last World Cup came from a penalty, and he was scoreless at Euro 2024, where they lost on penalties to France in the quarter-finals.
If Portugal finish top of Group K, they will play a last-32 match against the third-placed team, which would coincide with the anniversary of forward Diogo Jota’s death on July 3.
The former Liverpool forward died in a car accident shortly after helping Portugal launch the UEFA Nations League, and players will wear wristbands in his memory during matches.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is about to write new history with its return to the World Cup.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, which earned an automatic tournament berth from Senegal, defeated Jamaica 1-0 in an intercontinental play-off in Mexico in March, ultimately qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in 52 years, formerly known as Zaire.
Portugal’s opening game will be difficult as preparations have been hampered by the Ebola outbreak, but a match against Uzbekistan on June 27 could give Sebastian Desabre’s side a chance to finish third in their group and secure a place in the knockout stages.
DR Congo may not be a household name, but he boasts a wealth of experience in the English Premier League. The defenders include West Ham’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Burnley’s Axel Tuanzebe, who booked his spot with an extra-time goal, and Sunderland’s left-back Artur Masuaku.
His Sunderland team-mate Noah Sadiqi, 20, is the center of attention in midfield, while Newcastle United’s Yoan Wissa and Real Betis’ 35-year-old Cedric Bakambu will lead the line against Portugal.
As the first sub-Saharan country to participate in the World Cup, then-African champions Zaire lost all three games in 1974, including a 9-0 humiliation by Yugoslavia. In another group game against Brazil, full-back Mwepu Ilunga famously charged off the wall to take Brazil’s free-kick, becoming one of the enduring images of the World Cup.
It later emerged that the player’s warning was an attempt to waste time as a form of political protest, as the players had been threatened with expulsion if they lost by more than three points – the players were trailing 2-0 at the time.
The match ended 3-0 and they were allowed to go home, but since then domestic football had been mostly in the doldrums until a recent turnaround under coach Desabre.
Nevertheless, perhaps the most famous figure in modern Congolese football is actually a huge fan.
For the past 13 years, Michel Ngcuka Mboradinga has attended Leopards games wearing a colorful suit and standing silently with one arm raised, imitating the image of revered Congolese political leader Patrice Lumumba.
His presence in the crowd at the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in January caught the world’s attention, and he has since reportedly been added to the tournament’s official delegation at the request of the players.
How will the group stage be played?
Group K includes Portugal, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Colombia and Uzbekistan.
They will compete once in the early stages of the tournament. The top two teams in each of the 12 groups and the top eight teams in third place will advance to the next stage, the Round of 32, which was introduced for the first time at the World Cup.
direct confrontation
This will be the first time the two countries have faced each other, but if Leopards can pull off a surprise, it will be the biggest match in the history of the tournament.
Form guide:
(Last 5 games, latest game)
Portugal: WWWWW
Democratic Republic of the Congo: LDWLW
Portugal enters the tournament having won three games in a row against the United States, Chile and Nigeria, after a friendly match against Mexico in March ended in a scoreless match.
DR Congo lost 2-1 to fellow Chilean team on June 9 in their second and final warm-up match, but six days earlier they played a stalemate against Denmark, who had introduced an experimental five-man defensive formation. Their previous games were a qualifying win against Jamaica in March and a loss against Algeria in the AFCON last 16 in January.
team news
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez will be in good health heading into the opening game, but the famous 41-year-old forward will be in the room.
Ronaldo has not scored from open play in the last two major international tournaments and his on-field power has waned, missing several good opportunities to increase his international goal tally to 143 in the preliminary match win over Nigeria.
The popular striker is certain to earn his 229th cap, but will he start or come off the bench for a cameo?
Portugal’s predicted eleven: D. Costa (goalkeeper). Cancelo, Diaz, Inacio, Mendes. J. Neves, Fernandez, Vicinha. Bernardo, Ronaldo, Neto.
DR Congo’s predicted eleven: Mpasi (goalkeeper). Wan-Bissaka, Kapuadi, Tuanzebe, Mbemba and Masuaku. Muthusamy, Sadiki, Mukau. Wissa, Bakanbu.
What are your predictions for Portugal vs Democratic Republic of Congo?
Unsurprisingly, Portugal, who currently sit fifth in the FIFA World Rankings, are the favorites heading into this opening Group K match.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, one of Africa’s most soccer-developed countries, is on a puncher’s chances of winning, with an almost one-in-four chance of pulling off an upset at Houston Stadium, according to Opta.
Al Jazeera’s dedicated FIFA World Cup 2026 page keeps you up to date with all the latest news, match developments and live text commentary, as well as group standings, real-time results and schedules.
