Portugal vs DR Congo prediction 17.06.2026 | World Cup

The tournament in the USA, Canada, and Mexico will be Portugal's seventh consecutive. They are one of the best teams in the world in the last few decades, but Seleção das Quinas never played in the final and Portugal. They are hoping for another deep run, but first, Roberto Martinez's team has to find its way out of the challenging Group K. 

Portugal were impressive recently with only one defeat in the last 13 matches. They are coming to the tournament with two wins in friendlies this month, 2-1 against Chile and 2-1 against Nigeria. Although they won both times, those games revealed some problems Portugal could have. One of the biggest questions surrounding the team is how much Cristiano Ronaldo can still contribute on the biggest stage at the age of 41. He scored 30 goals last season, but one of the best players in football history usually doesn't help too much in defense. Also, Ronaldo is not as involved in the offensive build-up play as he once was. 

Portugal's biggest strength is their midfield. The trio of Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes, and Joao Silva had impressive seasons and will have a big influence on Portugal's success in the upcoming tournament. 

DR Congo are returning to the World Cup after more than 50 years. Their only appearance was in 1974 in West Germany, where, under the name Zaire, the DR Congo lost all three matches with a 0:14 goal difference. The well-known Leopards have consistently advanced to the knockout phase at the African Cup of Nations in recent years and hope to do the same at the World Cup. 

DR Congo have struggled with consistency lately, winning only twice in the last five matches. In their two warm-up games ahead of the World Cup, they earned a respectable 0-0 draw against Denmark before suffering a 2-1 defeat to Chile. In both games, Sebastien Desabre's team had too many problems in creating goal-scoring opportunities, and breaking Portugal's defense is unlikely to be any easier. 

DR Congo have some players at the highest level. Star is probably Newcastle's Yoane Wissa, but the striker scored only three goals in all competitions last season, and it is a big question whether he can find the desired form in the World Cup.