Ronaldo’s last dance as Portugal face DR Congo in World Cup: All to know

Who: Portugal vs DR Congo
What: FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K match
Where: Houston Stadium, Houston, Texas, United States
When: Wednesday, 12pm (17:00 GMT)
How to follow: Keep up with each updates on Al Jazeera Sport

Portugal volition question to enactment 60 years of World Cup wounded down them erstwhile their 2026 run begins with a Group K clash with the Democratic Republic of Congo successful Houston.

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While it’s England fans who harken backmost to the glory days of 1966, the Three Lions person had it considerably amended than Portugal since then.

Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is seeking to adhd to his fable by scoring successful a sixth World Cup and is dreaming of lifting the lone large trophy to elude him in his last tournament.

Their radical signifier begins with a clash with DR Congo, who person qualified for conscionable the 2nd clip but await their archetypal extremity – and constituent – successful a World Cup fixture.

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo makes his constituent to Goncalo Guedes during grooming [Marco Bello/Reuters]

Can Ronaldo crown vocation by helping Portugal to archetypal World Cup trophy?

It’s been 60 years since Portugal’s champion World Cup showing, a third-place decorativeness inspired by Eusebio successful England successful 1966 connected their tourney debut.

They person lone returned to the semifinals erstwhile since, successful 2006, and disappointingly went retired successful the past 8 successful Qatar 2022 to Morocco aft cruising done a tricky radical and past pummelling Switzerland 6-1 successful the circular of 16.

While they bash person trophies to amusement for this aureate epoch – the 2016 UEFA European Championships (Euro 2016) and Nations League past twelvemonth aft a shootout triumph implicit Spain – the World Cup has ever been the 1 which got away.

Widely considered to beryllium a contender this time, assurance should beryllium precocious with Vitinha, Joao Neves and Nune Mendes caller from helping French ace nine Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to a 2nd consecutive Champions League title, portion Bruno Fernandes shone for Manchester United, registering a Premier League grounds 21 assists.

And past there’s Cristiano, who endured a play of vexation with Saudi nine broadside Al-Nassr, contempt netting 30 goals successful 37 appearances successful each competitions.

Ronaldo is the lone subsister from Portugal’s Euros 2016 triumph, and entering World Cup 2026, helium is the lone antheral to person scored successful 5 editions of the tourney (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022).

However, of his 8 World Cup goals, nary person travel successful knockout games, and helium was dropped for the Switzerland crippled successful Qatar – his archetypal non-start astatine a large tourney successful 14 years.

His lone extremity successful the past World Cup came from a penalty, and helium was scoreless astatine Euro 2024, erstwhile different quarterfinal exit followed connected penalties to France.

Should Portugal decorativeness apical of Group K, they volition play their last-32 lucifer against a third-placed finisher, and it would coincide with the day of guardant Diogo Jota’s decease connected July 3.

The ex-Liverpool guardant passed distant successful a road accident soon aft helping Portugal assistance the UEFA Nations League, and the players are acceptable to deterioration wristbands successful his representation during the match.

After securing their World Cup 2026 spot done 2 gruelling qualifying rounds, DR Congo are understandably caput implicit heels to beryllium astatine the tourney successful North America [Troy Taormina/Reuters]

DR Congo look to constitute caller past connected World Cup return

After being pipped to automatic tourney introduction by Senegal, DR Congo yet qualified for their archetypal World Cup successful 52 years – antecedently competing arsenic Zaire – with a 1-0 triumph implicit Jamaica successful their intercontinental playoff successful Mexico successful March.

Their preparations person been hampered owed to an Ebola outbreak, and Portugal is simply a pugnacious inquire to statesman their campaign, but the gathering with Uzbekistan connected June 27 could springiness Sebastien Desabre’s men the accidental of finishing 3rd successful the radical and securing a imaginable knockout tie.

While they whitethorn not beryllium household names, DR Congo boast plentifulness of English Premier League experience. Their defence features West Ham’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Axel Tuanzebe of Burnley, who scored the extra-time extremity which saw them qualify, arsenic good arsenic Sunderland left-back Arthur Masuaku.

His 20-year-old Sunderland teammate Noah Sadiki has been a revelation successful the midfield, and Newcastle United’s Yoane Wissa and 35-year-old Cedric Bakambu of Real Betis volition pb the enactment against Portugal.

As the archetypal sub-Saharan federation to scope a World Cup, then-African champions Zaire mislaid each 3 games successful 1974, including a 9-0 humbling by Yugoslavia. In a abstracted radical lucifer against Brazil, full-back Mwepu Ilunga famously charged retired of the partition to footwear distant a Brazilian free-kick successful 1 of the World Cup’s enduring images.

It aboriginal emerged that the act, which earned him a booking, was an effort to discarded clip successful the signifier of governmental protest, arsenic the players had been threatened with exile if they mislaid by much than 3 goals – they were trailing 2-0 astatine the time.

The contention finished 3-0, and they were allowed home, though shot successful the federation has mostly been successful the doldrums ever since, until a caller upturn nether Desabre.

Despite that, possibly the astir recognisable fig successful modern Congolese shot is really a ace fan.

Michel Nkuka Mboladinga has spent the past 13 years attending Leopards games portion wearing colourful suits and lasting inactive and soundless with 1 limb raised, imitating a statue of revered Congolese governmental person Patrice Lumumba.

His beingness successful the assemblage astatine the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) successful January caught the attraction of the world, and helium has subsequently been included successful the nation’s authoritative delegation for the tournament, reportedly astatine the petition of the players.

DR Congo ace instrumentality Michel Nkuka Mboladinga poses arsenic a statue of the country’s independency leader Patrice Lumumba during the AFCON decision to Algeria successful Morocco successful January [File: Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters]

How does the radical signifier work?

Portugal, DR Congo, Colombia and Uzbekistan are successful Group K.

They volition play each different erstwhile successful the archetypal signifier of the tournament. The apical 2 teams from each of the 12 groups – on with the 8 champion third-placed teams – volition proceed to the adjacent phase, the circular of 32, which has been introduced astatine the World Cup for the archetypal time.

Head-to-head

This volition beryllium the archetypal gathering of the 2 nations, and if the Leopards were to outpouring a surprise, it would beryllium 1 of the biggest successful the competition’s history.

Form guide:

(Last 5 games, latest lucifer first)

Portugal: W-W-W-D-W

DR Congo: L-D-W-L-W

Portugal spell into the tourney disconnected the backmost of 3 consecutive wins implicit USA, Chile and Nigeria, pursuing a goalless affable with Mexico successful March.

DR Congo were beaten 2-1 by the aforesaid Chile broadside connected June 9 successful their 2nd and last warm-up game, but played retired a stalemate with Denmark six days before, wherever they introduced an experimental five-man defence formation. Their erstwhile games were the qualifying triumph implicit Jamaica successful March and the AFCON last-16 decision to Algeria successful January.

Team news

While Portugal manager Roberto Martinez has a cleanable measure of wellness going into the opening game, the elephant successful the country is their celebrated 41-year-old forward.

Ronaldo hasn’t scored from unfastened play successful his past 2 large planetary tournaments, and his on-field powers are waning, missing immoderate bully opportunities successful the warm-up triumph implicit Nigeria to adhd to his 143 planetary goals.

The fashionable striker is definite to triumph his 229th cap, but volition it beryllium from the commencement oregon successful a cameo disconnected the bench?

Portugal’s predicted XI: D Costa (goalkeeper); Cancelo, Dias, Inacio, Mendes; J Neves, Fernandes, Vitinha; Bernardo, Ronaldo, Neto.

DR Congo’s predicted XI: Mpasi (goalkeeper); Wan-Bissaka, Kapuadi, Tuanzebe, Mbemba, Masuaku; Moutoussamy, Sadiki, Mukau; Wissa, Bakambu.

What are the predictions for Portugal vs DR Congo?

Not surprisingly, Portugal, presently ranked 5th successful the FIFA satellite rankings, are beardown favourites heading into this opening Group K matchup.

DR Congo, 1 of Africa’s astir improved footballing nations, is successful with a puncher’s accidental of triumph according to Opta astatine astir a one-in-four accidental of causing an upset astatine Houston Stadium.

Portugal predictor

You tin travel the enactment connected Al Jazeera’s dedicated FIFA World Cup 2026 leafage with each the latest news, lucifer build-up and unrecorded substance commentary and support up to day with radical standings, real-time lucifer results and schedules.