Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal begin their 2026 World Cup campaign against DR Congo in Houston on Wednesday. With Colombia and Uzbekistan the other two teams in Group K, Portugal will be aiming to get off to a winning start in hopes of topping the group.
Roberto Martinez’s side will have to deal with the attention on Ronaldo throughout the tournament, as the 41-year-old bids to win the World Cup for the first time in his sixth and surely final attempt. Ronaldo has won the Euros (2016) and the Nations League (2019, 2025) with Portugal, but his holy grail remains the World Cup.
DR Congo, meanwhile, make their first appearance at the World Cup since their infamous outing in 1974, when they were known as Zaire. Sebastien Desabre’s side have already achieved a victory of sorts in ending a 52-year wait for qualification, but given the names in their squad they can hope for more.
Here’s everything you need to know about Wednesday’s game.
How to watch:
The match will be available on BBC One in the UK, Fox Sports in the U.S., Zee5 in India and SBS in Australia. You can also follow ESPN’s live updates.
Key Details:
Date, kick-off time:
U.S. ET: Wednesday June 17, 1 p.m.
UK BST: Wednesday June 17, 6 p.m.
India IST: Wednesday June 17, 10.30 p.m.
Australia AEST: Thursday June 18, 3 a.m.
Venue: Houston Stadium, Texas, USA
Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)
Team News
Portugal
Martinez was only too glad to watch his squad come out fully fit from their pre-World Cup friendlies against Chile and Nigeria, which were both won by a 2-1 scoreline.
Predicted XI: (4-2-3-1)
GK: Diogo Costa
LB: Nuno Mendes | CB: Rúben Dias | CB: Gonçalo Inácio | RB: Diogo Dalot
CM: João Neves | CM: Vitinha
LM: Bernardo Silva | CAM: Bruno Fernandes | RM: Pedro Neto
ST: Cristiano Ronaldo
Congo DR
Desabre has a pretty settled lineup, all of whom came through their pre-World Cup friendlies against Denmark (0-0) and a 1-2 loss to Chile.
Predicted XI: (4-5-1)
GK: Lionel Mpasi
LB: Arthur Masuaku | CB: Axel Tuanzebe | CB: Chancel Mbemba | RB: Aaron Wan-Bissaka
LM: Yoane Wissa | CM: Samuel Moutoussamy | CM: Noah Sadiki | CM: Ngal’ayel Mukau | RM: Théo Bongonda
ST: Cédric Bakambu
Talking Points
Can Portugal look beyond Ronaldo?
1:00
Martinez excited as Portugal arrive in USA
One man will grab the headlines no matter what for Portugal, and that is how Martinez has chosen to build his squad, but look closer and there is plenty of quality surrounding Ronaldo.
It was underlined in Portugal’s pre-World Cup friendly win over Nigeria, where Ronaldo missed multiple sitters, but was bailed out by his teammates. With the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva handling creative duties, ahead of a Champions League-winning midfield in João Neves and Vitinha, coupled with two of the best defenders in the world in Nuno Mendes and Rúben Dias, Portugal are chock-full of quality. Diogo Costa’s penalty-saving heroics are perfect for tournament football, and in many ways, it often feels like Portugal’s weakest link is their 41-year-old striker.
Granted, Gonçalo Ramos is not considered a clear upgrade, but Martinez might be better served by switching things up and saving Ronaldo for the deep end of a long tournament in the American summer. They ought to have enough firepower to get past DR Congo, but stranger things have happened to Portugal in a World Cup.
This is Ronaldo’s last dance — will his teammates keep the same rhythm?
DR Congo’s quality offers them a chance to right the wrongs of the past
DR Congo (then Zaire) became the butt of many jokes when Mwepu Ilunga inexplicably burst out of a defensive wall facing up to a Brazil free-kick and hammered the ball clear, earning himself a yellow card. The world laughed and condescendingly assumed the African footballers were unaware of the rules and that tale survived over decades. Ilunga has since said he decided to break free from the wall and clear the ball because he wanted to be sent off in protest at threats the team had received from the country’s authorities as well as a withdrawal off bonus money they had been promised following a 9-0 loss to Yugoslavia.
52 years on, things are quite different for DR Congo. There’s a defence boasting Premier League pedigree of the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Axel Tuanzebe. Elsewhere, Newcastle forward Yoane Wissa is used on the wing to accommodate Cédric Bakambu up front, with Noah Sadiki an impressive talent in midfield.
Clearly, DR Congo have the quality to trouble Portugal, and with Uzbekistan also in the group, there remains hope for qualification to the knockouts as well. Yet, Desabre’s circumspect approach has its critics and might come unstuck against the creators in Portugal’s side — who specialise in picking apart low blocks.
