We look ahead to Wednesday’s Group K opener at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with our Portugal vs DR Congo preview. Ten years on from their Euro 2016 success, can the Portuguese get off to the perfect start with victory?
Portugal vs DR Congo: The Key Insights
- The Opta supercomputer pits Portugal as big favourites to get their 2026 World Cup campaign underway with a victory. They beat DR Congo in 54.5% of the pre-match simulations.
- Portugal have won only one of their last four opening World Cup matches, beating Ghana 3–2 in 2022. Their last three openers at the tournament have produced an average of five goals per game.
- This is only DR Congo’s second World Cup appearance, and first since 1974 when they competed as Zaire. Only Wales (64 years), Egypt and Norway (both 56) have had longer gaps than the Leopards’ 52 years between tournaments.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal finally enter the field of play at the 2026 World Cup, opening their tournament at the Houston Stadium in Texas against a DR Congo side whose journey back to football’s biggest stage has been 52 years in the making.
One of only five European nations to feature in every World Cup since 2002 alongside England, France, Germany and Spain, Portugal have made the knockout stages in four of the last five editions.
Roberto Martínez’s side booked their place in style, topping a group featuring the Republic of Ireland, Hungary and Armenia by scoring 20 goals across their six games, with Bruno Fernandes and João Neves both netting hat-tricks in a 9–1 victory over the latter.
Ronaldo ended qualifying as Portugal’s top scorer and his five goals were the joint-most in UEFA Group F; at present, the 41-year-old is the only player to have scored in five World Cups.
The Al-Nassr forward is set to become the second-oldest outfield player – after Roger Milla (42) – to play at a World Cup, and is in a race with Lionel Messi to become the first ever player to appear in six editions of the tournament.
With Argentina playing their opener a day prior, Ronaldo looks likely to lose that particular battle, but he will spearhead a Portugal side who have scored in 10 of their last 11 World Cup matches.
The only exception came in the 1-0 defeat to Morocco which knocked them out at the quarter-final stage in 2022, but in Martínez, Portugal have a coach with an exceptional record at this level.
Leading Belgium and Portugal, Martínez has won seven of his 10 World Cup matches – of head coaches with 10+ games at the tournament, only Telê Santana (80%), Didier Deschamps (74%) and Joachim Löw (71%) have a better win rate than Martínez’s 70%.
In terms of progress, however, history is not on Portugal’s side. Their best ever finish at a World Cup was third at the 1966 edition in England – 60 years ago – and they’ve only made the semi-finals once since, in 2006.
Unbeaten so far in 2026, Portugal have beaten the USA, Chile and Nigeria in their last three warm-up matches, and after each netting in a 2–1 win over the latter, wingers Pedro Neto and Francisco Conceição will be confident of flanking Ronaldo in Martinez’s frontline.
While 21st-century ever-presents Portugal will be looking to mount their best-ever World Cup finish, their opponents make a first appearance since 1974, and first competing as DR Congo following the team’s name change from Zaire in 1997.
One of the last nations to qualify for this World Cup following a 1–0 victory over Jamaica in the inter-confederation play-offs, the Leopards’ 52-year absence from the tournament was ended by Axel Tuanzebe‘s 100th-minute winner.
DR Congo finished behind Gabon in the second round of CAF qualifiers, but advanced past Cameroon and then Nigeria to reach that decisive play-off final against Jamaica in Guadalajara.
Across the CAF qualifiers, DR Congo had two players who racked up 6+ goal contributions in Cédric Bakambu (four goals, two assists) and Yoane Wissa (three goals, three assists); with no qualifying African nation managing more.
The two strikers will back themselves to score DR Congo’s first ever World Cup goals, but their matches could prove to be cagey affairs, with 10 of 13 of the Leopards’ qualifying matches being decided by one goal or less (six wins, two draws, two defeats).
Portugal vs DR Congo Head-to-Head
With Portugal being tournament regulars and DR Congo not seen on this stage in 52 years, the two nations have never previously met in any competitive or friendly matches.
Portugal will become just the fourth UEFA nation to face DR Congo, who were beaten by both Scotland and Yugoslavia at the 1974 World Cup (losing 9–0 to the latter), and drew 0–0 with Denmark in a pre-tournament friendly last month.
Portugal’s only two World Cup defeats to African nations have come against Morocco, in the 1986 group stage and 2022 quarter-finals. However, they’re unbeaten against teams from sub-Saharan Africa, with three wins and one draw.
Portugal vs DR Congo Prediction
DR Congo’s FIFA ranking has jumped from 56th to 45th following their qualification for this tournament, but the Opta supercomputer still sees fifth-placed Portugal as far more likely to win this game.
Across 25,000 pre-match simulations, Portugal dispatched DR Congo in a sizeable 54.5% of the outcomes, with a 22.3% likelihood that this Group K opener will finish level.
The Leopards’ chances of victory stand at a reasonable 23.2%, but Sébastien Desabre’s side certainly couldn’t have asked for a much tougher test on their World Cup return.
Portugal vs DR Congo Squads
Portugal: Diogo Costa, José Sá, Rui Silva, Nélson Semedo, Rúben Dias, Tomás Araújo, Diogo Dalot, Renato Veiga, Gonçalo Inácio, João Cancelo, Nuno Mendes, Matheus Nunes, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, João Neves, Rúben Neves, Vitinha, Samú Costa, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonçalo Ramos, João Félix, Trincão, Rafael Leão, Pedro Neto, Gonçalo Guedes, Francisco Conceição.
DR Congo: Lionel Mpasi, Timothy Fayulu, Matthieu Epolo, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Steve Kapuadi, Axel Tuanzebe, Dylan Batubinsika, Joris Kayembe, Chancel Mbemba, Gédéon Kalulu, Arthur Masuaku, Ngal’ayel Mukau, Samuel Moutoussamy, Théo Bongonda, Gaël Kakuta, Noah Sadiki, Aaron Tshibola, Charles Pickel, Edo Kayembe, Nathanaël Mbuku, Brian Cipenga, Meschack Elia, Cédric Bakambu, Fiston Mayele, Yoane Wissa, Simon Banza.
Portugal vs DR Congo Predicted Lineups
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