Group K — FIFA World Cup 2026
Standings
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Portugal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 |  Colombia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 |  Uzbekistan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 |  DR Congo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fixtures
| # | Date | Home | Away | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 2026-06-17 | Portugal | DR Congo | NRG Stadium, Houston |
| 24 | 2026-06-17 | Uzbekistan | Colombia | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City |
| 45 | 2026-06-23 | Portugal | Uzbekistan | NRG Stadium, Houston |
| 48 | 2026-06-23 | Colombia | DR Congo | Estadio Akron, Guadalajara |
| 69 | 2026-06-27 | Colombia | Portugal | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami |
| 70 | 2026-06-27 | DR Congo | Uzbekistan | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta |
Group K team comparison
| Stat | Portugal | Colombia | Uzbekistan | DR Congo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIFA Ranking | 4th | 12th | 62nd | 60th |
| World Cup Titles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| World Cup Appearances | 9 | 7 | 0 (debut) | 2 (as Zaire/DR Congo) |
| Best WC Finish | 3rd place (1966) | Quarterfinals (2014) | N/A (debut) | Group stage (1974, as Zaire) |
| Last WC Result | Quarterfinals (2022) | R16 (2018 — lost to England) | N/A | Group stage (1974) |
| Manager | Roberto Martínez | Néstor Lorenzo | Fabio Cannavaro | Sébastien Desabre |
| Captain | Cristiano Ronaldo | James Rodríguez | Eldor Shomurodov | Chancel Mbemba |
| Star Player | Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr) | Luis Díaz (Liverpool) | Eldor Shomurodov (Roma) | Chancel Mbemba (Olympique Marseille) |
| Qualification Route | UEFA Group F — 1st | CONMEBOL — 3rd place | AFC 3rd Round — Group C 1st | CAF Group I — 1st |
All four teams compared.
Qualifying campaign statistics
| Stat | Portugal | Colombia | Uzbekistan | DR Congo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualification Path | UEFA Group F | CONMEBOL Qualifiers | AFC Third Round | CAF Group I |
| Qualifying Matches | 10 | 18 | 16 | 10 |
| Record (W-D-L) | 8-1-1 | 8-4-6 | 9-3-4 | 6-2-2 |
| Win Rate | 80% | 44.4% | 56.3% | 60% |
| Goals Scored | 26 | 23 | 27 | 12 |
| Goals Conceded | 6 | 18 | 14 | 6 |
| Goal Difference | +20 | +5 | +13 | +6 |
| Clean Sheets | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Top Qualifier Scorer | Cristiano Ronaldo (8 goals) | Luis Díaz (5 goals) | Eldor Shomurodov (7 goals) | Cédric Bakambu (3 goals) |
All-time World Cup records
| Stat | Portugal | Colombia | Uzbekistan | DR Congo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WC Appearances | 8 (+ 2026 = 9th) | 6 (+ 2026 = 7th) | 0 (DEBUT) | 1 as Zaire (+ 2026 = 2nd) |
| Total WC Matches | 34 | 24 | 0 | 3 (as Zaire, 1974) |
| WC Wins | 17 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| WC Goals Scored | 52 | 38 | 0 | 0 |
| Best Finish | 3rd place (1966) | QF (2014) | N/A — debut | Group stage (1974) |
| All-Time WC Top Scorer | Eusébio (9 goals, 1966) / Cristiano Ronaldo (8 goals) | James Rodríguez (6 goals) | N/A | N/A |
| WC Titles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Head-to-head history
All-time H2H summary
| Matchup | Played | Team A Wins | Draws | Team B Wins | Total Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal vs Colombia | 3 | 1 (Portugal) | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| Portugal vs Uzbekistan | 0 | — | — | — | 0 |
| Portugal vs DR Congo | 0 | — | — | — | 0 |
| Colombia vs Uzbekistan | 0 | — | — | — | 0 |
| Colombia vs DR Congo | 0 | — | — | — | 0 |
| Uzbekistan vs DR Congo | 0 | — | — | — | 0 |
World Cup meetings
| Year | Match | Score | Stage | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Colombia vs Côte d'Ivoire | 2-1 | Group C | Brasília, Brazil |
| 2014 | Colombia vs Uruguay (R16) | 2-0 | R16 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| 2006 | Portugal vs Angola | 1-0 | Group D | Cologne, Germany |
Most Group K matchups are first-ever meetings. Portugal vs Colombia is the standout — both have never met at a World Cup. Uzbekistan and DR Congo both make historic debuts.
Key players — stats
| Player | Team | Position | Club | Age | Int'l Caps | Int'l Goals | WC Appearances | WC Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cristiano Ronaldo | | FW (captain) | Al Nassr | 41 | 210+ | 135+ | 5 (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022) | 8 |
| Bruno Fernandes | | MF | Manchester United | 31 | 65+ | 20+ | 2 (2018 — unused, 2022) | 0 |
| Rafael Leão | | FW | AC Milan | 27 | 35+ | 8+ | 1 (2022) | 0 |
| Luis Díaz | | FW | Liverpool | 29 | 50+ | 10+ | 0 | 0 |
| James Rodríguez | | MF (captain) | León | 35 | 100+ | 25+ | 2 (2014, 2018) | 6 |
| Eldor Shomurodov | | FW (captain) | Roma | 29 | 60+ | 25+ | 0 | 0 |
| Chancel Mbemba | | DF (captain) | Olympique Marseille | 31 | 55+ | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Cédric Bakambu | | FW | Betis | 33 | 40+ | 15+ | 0 | 0 |
Group K predictions
Advancement probability
| Team | Win Group | Finish 2nd | Finish 3rd (qualify) | Finish 3rd (eliminated) | Finish 4th | Total Advance % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | 50% | 30% | 10% | 5% | 5% | 90% |
| Colombia | 30% | 30% | 15% | 12% | 13% | 75% |
| Uzbekistan | 10% | 20% | 20% | 22% | 28% | 50% |
| DR Congo | 10% | 15% | 15% | 23% | 37% | 40% |
Probabilities based on pre-tournament rankings, qualifying form, and squad depth.
Predicted finish order
| Position | Team | Predicted Pts | Predicted GD | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Portugal | 7 | +4 | Ronaldo's record 6th WC. Fernandes and Leão add quality. Dominant qualifying. |
| 2nd | Colombia | 6 | +2 | Díaz (Liverpool) leads a talented attack. James still has magic moments. |
| 3rd | Uzbekistan | 3 | 0 | Shomurodov (Roma) gives them Serie A quality. Historic debut team. |
| 4th | DR Congo | 1 | -3 | Mbemba (Marseille) marshals the defence. Limited attacking depth. |
Key match predictions
| Match | Prediction | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Portugal vs DR Congo (MD1) | Portugal 3-0 | Ronaldo opens his 6th WC with goals in Houston. |
| Uzbekistan vs Colombia (MD1) | Colombia 2-0 | Colombia's quality tells at Estadio Azteca. |
| Portugal vs Uzbekistan (MD2) | Portugal 2-0 | Portugal cruise past debutants in Houston. |
| Colombia vs DR Congo (MD2) | Colombia 1-0 | Tight game. Díaz makes the difference in Guadalajara. |
| Colombia vs Portugal (MD3) | Draw 1-1 | Group decider — both already qualified. |
| DR Congo vs Uzbekistan (MD3) | Draw 1-1 | Battle of the debutants in Atlanta. |
Group K venues
| Stadium (FIFA Name) | City | Country | Capacity | Altitude | Group K Matches | Other WC Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRG Stadium (Houston Stadium) | Houston |  USA | 72,220 | 15m | MD1: POR-COD, MD2: POR-UZB | 5 total incl. QF |
| Estadio Azteca (Mexico City Stadium) | Mexico City |  Mexico | 72,766 | 2,200m | MD1: UZB-COL | 6 total incl. R32 |
| Estadio Akron (Guadalajara Stadium) | Guadalajara | Mexico | 44,330 | 1,566m | MD2: COL-COD | 3 total |
| Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Stadium) | Miami | USA | 64,767 | 0m | MD3: COL-POR | 6 total incl. 3rd Place |
| Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta Stadium) | Atlanta | USA | 67,382 | 320m | MD3: COD-UZB | 7 total incl. R16 |
Group K spans Houston, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Miami, and Atlanta. Estadio Azteca's 2,200m altitude adds a unique challenge for non-Mexican teams.
Group K analysis
Group K features two of football's all-time greats in their twilight. Cristiano Ronaldo (41) will play a record 6th World Cup, while James Rodríguez — the 2014 Golden Boot winner — returns to the stage where he became a global icon. Portugal's squad depth with Fernandes and Leão makes them strong favourites.
Colombia under Néstor Lorenzo have become South America's best defensive team and Luis Díaz at Liverpool provides world-class attacking punch. Uzbekistan (Shomurodov at Roma) and DR Congo (Mbemba at Marseille) both make historic tournament debuts, bringing fresh stories to football's biggest stage.