Who: Portugal vs DR CongoWhat: FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K matchWhere: Houston Stadium, Houston, Texas, United StatesWhen: Wednesday, 12pm (17:00 GMT)How to follow: Keep up with all updates on Al Jazeera SportPortugal will seek to put 60 years of World Cup hurt behind them when their 2026 campaign begins with a Group K clash with the Democratic Republic of Congo in Houston.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listWhile it’s England fans who harken back to the glory days of 1966, the Three Lions have had it considerably better than Portugal since then.Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is seeking to add to his legend by scoring in a sixth World Cup and is dreaming of lifting the only major trophy to elude him in his final tournament.Their group stage begins with a clash with DR Congo, who have qualified for just the second time but await their first goal – and point – in a World Cup fixture. Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo makes his point to Goncalo Guedes during training [Marco Bello/Reuters]Can Ronaldo crown career by helping Portugal to first World Cup trophy?It’s been 60 years since Portugal’s best World Cup showing, a third-place finish inspired by Eusebio in England in 1966 on their tournament debut.They have only returned to the semifinals once since, in 2006, and disappointingly went out in the last eight in Qatar 2022 to Morocco after cruising through a tricky group and then pummelling Switzerland 6-1 in the round of 16.While they do have trophies to show for this golden era – the 2016 UEFA European Championships (Euro 2016) and Nations League last year after a shootout win over Spain – the World Cup has always been the one which got away. Advertisement Widely considered to be a contender this time, confidence should be high with Vitinha, Joao Neves and Nune Mendes fresh from helping French super club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to a second straight Champions League title, while Bruno Fernandes shone for Manchester United, registering a Premier League record 21 assists.And then there’s Cristiano, who endure …
