Cristiano Ronaldo will spearhead Portugals challenge at the World Cup which starts this afternoon against DR Congo.The 41-year-old remains the first choice in the number nine role for boss Roberto Martinez and will be hoping for a fine performance to silence those that believe Portugal would be stronger without him. Recommended offer Portugal v DR Congo Super Boost Claim Boost 18+GambleAware.org For New Customers. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. Two-time African champions DR Congo 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). Table of ContentsWhere to watch Portugal v DR Congo: TV channel, live online streamsWorld Cup 2026: Portugal v DR Congo statsResponsible GamblingWhere 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 andBBC Sportwebsite.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 editionResponsible GamblingGambling should always be approached as entertainment, not as a way to generate income. 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Topics Cristiano Ronaldo DR Congo national football team Portugal National Football Team 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 World Cup 2026: Full list of confirmed teams, fixtures, groups and results Ben Miller 17th June, 2026 Portugal v DR Congo: World Cup 2026 line-ups, stats and preview for Cristiano Ronaldo team, TV channel, live online stream and prediction Ben Miller 17th June, 2026 Will Cristiano Ronaldo inspire or hinder Portugals attempts to win the World Cup? Nicholas McGee 14th June, 2026 Cristiano Ronaldo laughs off criticism of his pre-World Cup performances: Havent you seen the games? 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