FIFA World Cup 2026 Prediction: Portugal vs DR Congo (17-06-2026)

Portugal begin their FIFA World Cup campaign against DR Congo as one of the stronger favourites of the opening round.

The Portuguese are ranked fifth in the FIFA rankings, while DR Congo sit 46th.

While rankings do not tell the whole story, there is a noticeable difference in quality and depth between these squads.

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Portugal arrive in solid form.

They have won four of their last five matches, beating Nigeria, Chile, the USA and Armenia, while scoring 20 goals across their last eight internationals.

The attack remains packed with quality, and Portugal have regularly shown they can create chances against both European and non-European opposition.

DR Congo have produced some respectable results of their own, including wins over Jamaica, Bermuda and Botswana, but they have not faced many teams with the same attacking quality as Portugal in recent months.

The African side were beaten 2-1 by Chile in their most recent outing and were held to a goalless draw by Denmark.

World Cup opening matches can occasionally be cautious, but Portugal have enough firepower to put opponents under pressure from the start.

With a significant advantage in overall squad quality and several proven match-winners available in attack, Portugal look capable of winning this game by at least two goals.