Preview: Portugal vs Congo DR - prediction, team news, lineups

Portugal's search for glory at the 2026 World Cup will begin on Wednesday when they open their Group K campaign with a contest against Congo DR.

Selecao das Quinas have never won the World Cup, but they are being tipped as potential challengers for the trophy this summer considering the quality in their squad.

Match preview

Portugal's best performance in the finals of a World Cup came back in 1966, when they finished third. Since then, it has been a struggle for the national side, who were fourth in 2006 and losing quarter-finalists last time out in Qatar.

Selecao das Quinas have underachieved in this competition given the quality of their squads in recent history - they have a recent major international title to their name, having triumphed at Euro 2016, but this is the trophy that a certain Cristiano Ronaldo really wants.

Roberto Martinez's side are the strong favourites to top Group K, which also includes Colombia and Uzbekistan, and they have entered the 2026 World Cup off the back of three straight friendly wins over USA, Chile and Nigeria.

Portugal finished their qualification campaign for this competition with a 9-1 win over Armenia, but they did lose to Republic of Ireland late last year, and there remain question marks over their ability to seriously challenge for the trophy this summer.

History will be made on Wednesday as Portugal lock horns with Congo DR for the first time, and it would go down as one of the biggest shocks in the competition if they were unable to overcome the Leopards in Houston.

Congo DR actually held Denmark to a goalless draw in one of two pre-World Cup friendlies at the start of June, but they were beaten 2-1 by Chile last time out.

The Leopards managed to qualify for their first World Cup in 52 years when Axel Tuanzebe's extra-time goal gave them a 1-0 victory over Jamaica in their intercontinental play-off final in Mexico back in March.

Congo DR reached the last-16 stage of the recent Africa Cup of Nations, and they have won two of their last four matches, only suffering one defeat in the process.

The expanded World Cup has certainly given Sebastien Desabre's team a better chance of reaching the knockout round of the competition, with one victory in the section potentially being enough to qualify in third spot.

Portugal will represent Congo DR's toughest test in Group K, and their match against Uzbekistan on June 27 could be crucial when it comes to their chances of advancing.

Portugal form (all competitions):

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Congo DR form (all competitions):

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Team News

Portugal have no injury concerns heading into this match, and there are unlikely to be any major surprises when it comes to their starting XI here, with 41-year-old Ronaldo set to lead the line on his 229th appearance for the national side.

Ronaldo will be aiming to add to his 143 international goals this summer and will be looking to improve on a disappointing 2022 World Cup, which saw him only register once.

The Al-Nassr striker was sent off against Republic of Ireland in a qualifier at the end of last year, but he had the second and third matches suspended for a year due to the fact that it was the veteran's first red card in 225 international appearances.

Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves and Vitinha are all set to start off the back of helping Paris Saint-Germain to win the 2025-26 Champions League, while Bruno Fernandes, who had an outstanding season for Manchester United, will also feature in the first XI.

As for Congo DR, there are plenty of recognisable names in their squad, including Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Tuanzebe, Chancel Mbemba and Arthur Masuaku, who are all expected to operate in what is likely to be a back five.

Sunderland's Noah Sadiki is in line to feature in the middle of midfield, while there will be two notable players in the final third of the field in the shape of Newcastle United's Yoane Wissa and Real Betis' Cedric Bakambu.

Bakambu is the leading goalscorer in the squad with 21, while Wissa, who struggled for Newcastle last season, has nine international goals to his name.

Portugal possible starting lineup:

D Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Inacio, Mendes; J Neves, Fernandes, Vitinha; Bernardo, Ronaldo, Neto

Congo DR possible starting lineup:

Mpasi; Wan-Bissaka, Kapuadi, Tuanzebe, Mbemba, Masuaku; Moutoussamy, Sadiki, Mukau; Wissa, Bakambu

We say: Portugal 3-0 Congo DR

This is a tough opener for Congo DR, and we are expecting Portugal to be far too strong for their opponents on Wednesday. The best world cup betting sites price Martinez's team as the strong favourites to finish at the top of Group K, and that is difficult to argue.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.