Congo DR secured qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where they will face Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, as well as Uzbekistan and Colombia. This Tuesday marks the final step before the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The last remaining spots are being decided through the European and intercontinental playoffs, and the tournament groups are now being finalized. Congo DR secured their place in Group K, where they will face Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, as well as Colombia and Uzbekistan.
Pathway 1 of the interconfederation playoffs held its final this Tuesday. There, Jamaica (who advanced to this stage after defeating New Caledonia) faced DR Congo. The match at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico, ended in a 1-0 victory for the African side.
Now Congo DR will join Group K of the World Cup, where they face the difficult challenge of opening their campaign against Cristiano Ronaldo. That matchup against Portugal is scheduled for June 17 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
Six days later, they will take on Colombia at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara—coincidentally the same venue where they secured their historic qualification. Finally, the Group K finale will take place on June 27, when Congo DR will face Uzbekistan at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
How many times have DR Congo played in a World Cup?
With Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Jamaica, DR Congo have earned the right to play in their second World Cup in history. Their only previous appearance came at Germany 1974, when they competed under the country’s former name at the time: Zaire.
On that occasion, they were drawn into Group 2 alongside Brazil, Yugoslavia and Scotland. Their performance fell well short of expectations, as they lost all three matches, conceding 14 goals and scoring none. They were beaten 2-0 by Scotland, 9-0 by Yugoslavia and 3-0 by Brazil.
A new experience for Cristiano Ronaldo
In his 23 years with the Portugal national team, Cristiano Ronaldo has never faced DR Congo, either in friendlies or in official competitions. At the World Cup level, he has played six matches against African national teams, recording four wins, one draw and one loss.
In each of his World Cup appearances, Ronaldo has faced at least one African opponent in the group stage. In 2006, it was a 1-0 win over Angola, while in 2010 he played to a 0-0 draw against Ivory Coast. Four years later, he faced Ghana and won 2-1, while at Russia 2018 it was a 1-0 victory over Morocco. At Qatar 2022, Portugal faced two CAF opponents: they defeated Ghana 3-2 in the group stage before falling 1-0 to Morocco in the quarterfinals.