When Matheus Nunes was reminded of working in his godfathers pastry shop during the press conference for Portugals World Cup 2026 opener, the Manchester City player admitted he had never imagined playing with Selecao captain and five-time Ballon dOr winner Cristiano Ronaldo.Once an unsuccessful trialist for Leicester City, Nunes is preparing to meet DR Congo in Houston in the company of 41-year-old Portugal captain Ronaldo, who is the all-time top international scorer and targeting the title at what is almost certainly his last World Cup.We are proud to be here with Cristiano, said Nunes. Ten years ago, I was playing in the sixth division, so I never imagined it.For us, its a huge honour to be here with him. Everyone knows what a great figure he is. If we can win the title for him, it would be something very big.A pre-tournament trip to the beach, Nunes said, was part of adapting to the climate rather than a sign of slackness from a squad being tipped by many to challenge.I, as an example, spend the year playing in Manchester, explained the 27-year-old. Its not as hot there. Its a huge difference.Going to the beach in the morning to adapt to the heat, sun and humidity was part of the plan. Were not spending more time at the beach than at training.Former Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe scored the extra-time goal in Zapopan to send DR Congo to the finals with a play-off win against Jamaica.What a day it was, said Burnleys Tuanzebe, whose previous clubs also include Aston Villa and Napoli, speaking to FIFA.For me, scoring the goal, I didnt really think too much of self accolades. It was more what it meant to the team, country and people.We can really be a dark horse. A lot of the opposition are not really aware of what we can bring in terms of our energy levels, patterns of play and a real togetherness that we have.The two-time African champions are making their second appearance at the World Cup, having lost three games in 1974, when they were known as Zaire.Our path to qualification was quite difficult, said head coach Sebastien DesabreIt, discussing a run that also included seven wins, a draw and two defeats to finish two points behind automatic qualifiers Senegal during the initial stage. It was a do-or-die situation [against Jamaica].This is the first match in Group K, which continues when Uzbekistan meet Colombia in Mexico City on Thursday (03:00 BST).Portugal then face Uzbekistan in Houston on Tuesday (18:00), followed by DR Congo against Colombia in Zapopan on Wednesday (03:00).Table of ContentsWorld Cup 2026: Portugal v DR Congo team newsPortugal v DR Congo World Cup 2026 predicted line-upsWhere to watch Portugal v DR Congo: TV channel, live online streamsWorld Cup 2026: Portugal v DR Congo statsWorld Cup 2026: Portugal v DR Congo predictionWorld Cup 2026: Portugal v DR Congo team newsManchester City centre-back Ruben Dias missed much of the second half of the season with a hamstring injury but returned for Portugals friendly wins over Chile and Nigeria this month and has trained fully.Ronaldo sat out his nations first two matches of the year with a hamstring injury and started both warm-up games as captain, featuring for 45 minutes against La Roja followed by a 65-minute outing against the Super Eagles.Benfica defender Tomas Araujo could make his second competitive international appearance, having previously featured against Croatia in the Nations League in November 2024.Samu Costa is Portugals other outfield player with a single-figure caps total. The Mallorca midfielders two competitive outings were brief cameos against Poland during that Nations League campaign.Rocky Bushiri withdrew from DR Congos squad with an Achilles injury sustained while playing for Hibernian on the final matchday of the Scottish season.Kilmarnock midfielder and former England youth international Aaron Tshibola has replaced the centre-back.Yoane Wissa could make his first appearance at a major tournament since September 2024, having struggled with a knee injury and scored one Premier League goal last season after joining Newcastle from Brentford for �55 million.Wissa did not return to full fitness in time to feature at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in January, at which DR Congos extra-time exit to Algeria in the last 16 marked Gael Kakutas most recent competitive match for his country.The hugely experienced former Chelsea and France Under-21 winger returned as a second-half substitute in the 2-1 defeat to Chile in a friendly on June 9.Portugal v DR Congo World Cup 2026 predicted line-upsPortugal starting XI: Diogo Costa, Joao Cancelo, Tomas Araujo, Ruben Dias, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Vitinha, Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Joao Felix, Cristiano RonaldoDR Congo starting XI: Lionel Mpasi, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Chancel Mbemba, Axel Tuanzebe, Arthur Masuaku, Meschack Elia, Samuel Moutoussamy, Noah Sadiki, Nathanael Mbuku, Cedric Bakambu, Yoane WissaWhere to watch Portugal v DR Congo: TV channel, live online streamsKick-off on Wednesday is at 18:00 BST (13:00 ET / 10:00 PT). In the UK, live coverage is on BBC One.Streaming on a vast range of devices is available through the BBC iPlayer app and BBC Sport website.World Cup 2026: Portugal v DR Congo statsSince Portugals best ever World Cup finish third place in 1966 their only other semi-final appearance has been in 2006, exiting against France before losing the third-place match to hosts GermanyPortugal are one of five European teams to have made an appearance at every World Cupsince 2002, alongside England, France, Germany and SpainThey have reached the knockout stage at four of the last five World Cup tournaments and scored in 10 of their last 11 matches at the finals, the exception being their 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Morocco in 2022Ronaldo is the only player to have scored at five World Cup tournaments and could become the only player potentially alongside Lionel Messi to appear at six editionsSelecao head coach Roberto Martnez is at his third World Cup as a head coach, having guided Belgium to a third-place finish in 2018 and a group-stage exit in 2022Martinez is the third non-Portuguese head coach to lead the team at the finals, after Brazilians Otto Gloria and Luiz Felipe ScolariOnly Wales (64 years, between 1958 and 2022), Egypt (56 years, between 1934 and 1990) and Norway (56 years, between 1938 and 1994) have had longer gaps in successive World Cup participations than DR CongoOnly Bolivia (first 5 games), Canada and Greece (first 4 games) have played more games at the tournament before scoring their first goal than DR Congo, who are yet to open their accountIncluding play-offs, 10 of DR Congos 13 qualifying matches were drawn (2) or decided by a one-goal margin (6 wins, 2 losses), while keeping a clean sheet in eight of their 13 matchesIn African qualifying, only Gambia and Gabon (3 each) had more players with at least six goal involvements than DR Congo, for whom Cedric Bakambu (4 goals, 2 assists) and Wissa (3 goals, 3 assists) contributed six eachDesabre is at his third major tournament in charge of DR Congo, who the Frenchman guided them to fourth place at the 2023 AFCON and the round of 16 at the 2025 editionWorld Cup 2026: Portugal v DR Congo predictionPortugal 2-2 DR CongoPortugal started their 2022 campaign with a 3-2 win over Ghana and their latest meeting with African opponents could be another high-scoring one, with the Selecaos feared attacking options encountering a dangerous DR Congo forward line courtesy of the likes of Wissa, Theo Bondonda, Meschack Elia and Cedric Bakambu. The Leopards are unlikely to be overawed after knocking Cameroon and Nigeria out in qualifying.Responsible GamblingGambling should always be approached as entertainment, not as a way to generate income. If you ever feel that gambling is becoming a problem, there are several organisations you can contact for free, confidential support.National Gambling Helpline: 0808 8020 133 (free, 8 am to midnight, 7 days a week)GamCare: www.gamcare.org.ukGambleAware: gambleaware.orgGamStop: www.gamstop.co.uk (free self-exclusion service)Tools available through bet365 include deposit limits, session time reminders, loss limits, self-exclusion and Reality Checks. These can be accessed via the Safer Gambling section of your account at any time. 18+ only. Please gamble responsibly. Topics 2026 FIFA World Cup Bernardo Silva Bruno Fernandes Cristiano Ronaldo DR Congo national football team FIFA World Cup Joao Felix Portugal National Football Team Roberto Martinez Ruben Dias World Cup World Cup 2026 Yoane Wissa Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read Lionel Messi: World Cup 2026 playing schedule, fixtures, kick off times, where to watch, confirmed news updates and full Argentina squad Ben Miller 16th June, 2026 Kylian Mbappe: World Cup 2026 playing schedule, fixtures, kick off times, where to watch, confirmed news updates and full France squad Ben Miller 16th June, 2026 Argentina v Algeria: World Cup 2026 line-ups, stats and preview, TV channel, live online stream to watch Lionel Messi, prediction Mitch Fretton 16th June, 2026 Uruguay boss Bielsa defends World Cup photos: I did nothing wrong Ben Miller 16th June, 2026 World Cup star gives Donald Trump message over Iran war: We just want peace Ben Miller 16th June, 2026 World Cup 2026: Full list of confirmed teams, fixtures, groups and results Ben Miller 16th June, 2026
