Portugal and DR Congo have confirmed their starting teams for their World Cup 2026 meeting in Houston on Wednesday.
Two-time semi-finalists the Selecao completed a patchy qualifying campaign by beating Armenia 9-1 at home to reach the World Cup and are considered to have one of the strongest squads at the tournament, including 41-year-old record international scorer Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Leopards knocked Cameroon and Nigeria out in qualifying before sealing their place at the finals with an extra-time win over Jamaica in Zapopan.
The match is the first to take place in Group K, which continues with Uzbekistan vs Colombia in Mexico City on Thursday (03:00 BST).
World Cup 2026: Portugal confirmed team vs DR Congo
Portugal starting XI: D. Costa; Cancelo, Araujo, Veiga, Mendes; Fernandes, Neves, Vitinha; Silva, Ronaldo, Neto.
Portugal substitutes: Sa, Silva, Semedo, Dias, Dalot, Inacio, S. Costa, Nunes, Neves, Ramos, Felix, Trincao, Leao, Guedes, Conceicao.
World Cup 2026: DR Congo full line up vs Portugal
DR Congo starting XI: Mpasi Nazu; Wan-Bissaka, Tuanzebe, Mbemba, Kapuadi, Masuaku; Mukau, Moutoussamy, Kayembe; Wissa, Bakumbu.
DR Congo substitutes: Fayulu, Epolo, Batubinsika, Kayembe, Kalulu, Mbuku, Bongonda, Sadiki, Tshibola, Pickel, Cipenga, Kakuta, Elia, Mayele, Banza.
Where to watch Portugal vs DR Congo: TV channel, live online stream
Kick-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 vs DR Congo stats
- Since Portugal’s 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 Germany
- Portugal are one of five European teams to have made an appearance at every World Cup
since 2002, alongside England, France, Germany and Spain - They 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 2022
- Ronaldo 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 editions
- Selecao head coach Roberto MartĂnez 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 2022
- Martinez is the third non-Portuguese head coach to lead the team at the finals, after Brazilians Otto Gloria and Luiz Felipe Scolari
- Only 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 Congo
- Only 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 account
- Including play-offs, 10 of DR Congo’s 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 matches
- In 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 each
- Desabre 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 edition
Responsible Gambling
Gambling 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.
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.
