Portugal vs DR Congo, FIFA World Cup 2026 Highlights: POR settle for draw vs COD in Houston, Ronaldo kept quiet

Portugal vs DR Congo FIFA World Cup 2026 Football Match Highlights: Outside the two goals, the clearest chances fell to Cristiano Ronaldo who failed to convert either of them.

FIFA World Cup 2026 Match Today Live Score: Joao Neves’ 6th minute strike and Yoane Wissa’s 45th minute equalizer in the first half were the only chances taken in a match bereft of them as Congo held Portugal to a 1-1 draw. Outside the two goals, the clearest chances fell to Cristiano Ronaldo who failed to convert either of them.

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Ronaldo, who finally won the Saudi Premier League for the first time after his transfer to Al Nassr in 2023, will look to banish the ghosts of the 2022 edition when he scored just one goal in Qatar and had to leave the tournament in tears after losing to Morocco in the quarterfinals. His goal-scoring drought in major competitions continued in 2024 when he went goal-less in the Euro and Portugal were eliminated in the quarterfinal by France.

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Congo, meanwhile, are coming into the World Cup after 52 years. But their off-pitch problems took a turn for the worse when an Ebola outbreak was declared in Congo on May 15. They then had to relocate their training camp to Belgium and before entering the United States, the players will have to maintain a 21-day bubble outside the country. Still, a positive result against 2016 Euro champions Portugal will go a long way in putting smiles on faces of their fans.

FOLLOW POR vs COD HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE FIFA WORLD CUP BELOW.

Live Updates
Jun 18, 2026 12:30 AM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE:Full time

Final corner for Portugal and that's right into the safe hands of the Congo goalkeeper. He gets Wissa off to a lung bursting run but Conceicao has tracked back and defended well. And that's that for this match. It ends in a draw.

FT: POR 1-1 COD

Jun 18, 2026 12:28 AM IST
POR vs COD FIFA World Cup LIVE: 90+2" | Araujo wipes out Wissa

Wissa tries to break away and Araujo has fouled him!!! Gets booked. Frustration boiling over for Portuga;l. Congo, meanwhile, think that it should be a red. Nothing comes from the ensuing free kick though.

POR 1-1 COD

Jun 18, 2026 12:25 AM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE: 90' | Bruno drags it wide!!!

Bruno takes matters into his own hands now and tries a shot from outside the penalty box and it just whizzes past the post. Wasn't a clean it, just dragged it wide.

POR 1-1 COD

Jun 18, 2026 12:23 AM IST
POR vs COD FIFA World Cup LIVE: 87' | Good keeping

Cancelooooo with a shot across the face of gola with Ronaldo lurking but the goalkeeper does very well to pluck the ball out before it reached the Portuguese talisman.

POR 1-1 COD

Jun 18, 2026 12:19 AM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE: 83' | Ramos brought in place of Vitinha

Vitinha is off and Goncalo Ramos is on. Portugal now have two pure strikers on the pitch with Ronaldo and Ramos. Can they break the deadlock? Congo will hope not.

POR 1-1 COD

Jun 18, 2026 12:16 AM IST
POR vs COD FIFA World Cup LIVE: 80' | Conceicao only bright spot in Portugal attack

Fernandes has found Conceicao and he has been taken out by the Congo defender. Body check and Portugal have a free kick. Oh wait, no Conceicao was offside so Congo will get the free kick. Ronaldo, meanwhile, tries to press Tuanzebe who easily evades him and passes back.

POR 1-1 COD

Jun 18, 2026 12:13 AM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE: 78' | Bakumu shoots over

Ohhhhhh!!! Congo breaks and Sadiki is going to the left sifde and he spots Bakambu in a bit of space and feeds him. He shootsssss and that's well over!!

POR 1-1 COD

Jun 18, 2026 12:08 AM IST
POR vs COD FIFA World Cup LIVE: 74' | Another miss from Ronaldo

Portugal have brought in Leao now in place of Neto. Another chance for Ronaldo after a Conceicao pull back but he can't get it on target!! He doesn't look very sharp in front of goal but he has been marshalled well by Congo

POR 1-1 COD

Jun 18, 2026 12:03 AM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE: 68' | Ronaldo misses a chance!!!!

Ohhhhhh!! Ronaldo gets his clearest chance of the afternoon as Conceicao barrels into the Congo penalty box to feed Ronaldo. It's a little behind him and he shoots before adjusting and that's gone wide!!

POR 1-1 COD

Jun 18, 2026 12:02 AM IST
POR vs COD FIFA World Cup LIVE: 67' | Congo frustrating Portugal

Mendes with a few touches to get away from the Congo defenders, thereby drawing a foul. Free kick taken quickly but nothing comes off it. Neto trying to make things happen through the left side but he is finding no way through. There's melee now and the referee intervenes.

POR 1-1 COD

Jun 17, 2026 11:57 PM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE: 63' | Header goes wide

Congo with a throw deep inside the Portugal half now and it's thrown way into the box and Kapuadi gets a head to it but the ball goes safely wide.

POR 1-1 COD

Jun 17, 2026 11:55 PM IST
POR vs COD FIFA World Cup LIVE: 60' | Bright start from Conceicao

Cancelo looks to get Conceicao in behind the Congolese defence and gets a corner. All eyes will be on Ronaldo. Mendes to deliver and it's easily cleared away.

POR 1-1 COD

Jun 17, 2026 11:52 PM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE: 57' | Congo on the attack

Bakambuuuuu gets another chance from a tight angle and he shoots but hits the post. But Portugal have a foul so wouldn't have counted. But that was just a glimpse of what Portugal have to deal with here.

POR 1-1 COD

Jun 17, 2026 11:50 PM IST
POR vs COD FIFA World Cup LIVE: 55' | Cancelo's acrobatic effort cancelled for offside

Ronaldo with a deft touch to Mendes who gets the ball in good place for a cross but it's gone out for a goal kick!!! Cancelo gets the ball and he has pulled off an bicycle kick and that's gone inside!! Oh wait!! It's offside. Would have been a peach of a goal if it had stood.

POR 1-1 COD

Jun 17, 2026 11:47 PM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE: 52' | Delay by Congo goalie gives Portugal corner

Well well well. Portugal have a corner now because the Congo goalkeeper took too much time for his goal kick. New rules into effect in this World Cup. Nothing from the corner though as Congo clear.

POR 1-1 COD

Jun 17, 2026 11:45 PM IST
POR vs COD FIFA World Cup LIVE: 50' | Bakambu offside

Congo get a foul now and they are trying to build something here. Bakambu finds an acre of space and he tries a shot from an awkward angle which is saved!! Off side though.

POR 1-1 COD

Jun 17, 2026 11:41 PM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE: 46' | Portugal with a change

Portugal have subbed off Bernardo and Conceicao has been brought in. Congo gets us away for the second half. Portugal get the ball and they are passing the ball from side to side again with no way through.

POR 1-1 COD

Jun 17, 2026 11:25 PM IST
POR vs COD FIFA World Cup LIVE: Half Time

And that will be the last action of the half. Masuaku with that delicious cross and Wissa made no mistakes. Portugal look shell-shocked as they go inside their dressing room. They did not take create enough chances and the Leopards have pounced. We are in for a juicy second half. Stay tuned.

HT: POR 1-1 COD

Jun 17, 2026 11:22 PM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE: 45 | GOAL!!!

We are into the 4 added minutes in this match and Portugal look out of ideas on how to break down this defence. They need half time to come soon so that they can have a discussion with Martinez and change tactics. And Congo suddenly break and Moutoussamy's shot is blocked for a corner!! It's fired in and that's another corner kick. Mbemba looks hurt and he's off for now. OHHHH MY!!! A CROSS FROM MIDFIELD FINDS THE HEAD OF WISSAAAAA AND HE HAS STRUCK IT PAST THE GOALIEEEE!!!

POR 1-1 COD

Jun 17, 2026 11:14 PM IST
POR vs COD FIFA World Cup LIVE: 42' | Just 1 shot on target for Portugal

We are almost approaching half time and Portugal have just one shot on target. That was the goal. They have not done much with the possession as Congo have defended resolutely.

POR 1-0 COD

Jun 17, 2026 11:11 PM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE: 39' | Congo growing in the game

Bruno with a lovely pass to find Nuno Mendes in the left side and he tries to feed the ball to Ronaldo but that's intercepted and Congo can break. Masuaku with a cross which is dealt with by the Portugal defence

POR 1-0 COD

Jun 17, 2026 11:08 PM IST
POR vs COD FIFA World Cup LIVE: 35' | Congo with a spell of possession

Congo slowly growing in the match now with the Africa side enjoying a pretty good chunk of possession. What they can do with the ball will be interesting to see. And just as I was typing that, they have given the ball back to Portugal.

POR 1-0 COD

Jun 17, 2026 11:05 PM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE: 33' | Wissa's shot saved

There's a free kick now from the left side. Memdes with the free kick and that's easily cleared by Mbemba. The ball falls into Wissa's feet and he gets a shot away after an impressive turn but the Portugal goalie is comfortable

POR 1-0 COD

Jun 17, 2026 11:02 PM IST
POR vs COD FIFA World Cup LIVE: 29' | Fernades' Hollywood pass goes wrong

Ronaldo with a great run here but Cancelo's ball does not reach him. But just a glimpse of what he offers. And fernandes now tries the Hollywood pass which has gone out.

POR 1-0 COD

Jun 17, 2026 11:00 PM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE: 27' | Chance goes begging

We are back from the hydration break. We have seen momentum swing drastically after these breaks in this tournament. Will it swing in the way of Portugal or Congo? We'll find out. Portugal with another chance as Neto tries to feed Ronaldo but a big block denies him.

POR 1-0 COD

Jun 17, 2026 10:55 PM IST
POR vs COD FIFA World Cup LIVE: 21' | Portugal knock the ball around

Portugal keep the ball in closed spaces and keep knocking it around. Congo are trying to stay with those red shirts. Portugal are trying to find the killer ball here but Congo doing well to keep the ball in front of them.

POR 1-0 COD

Jun 17, 2026 10:50 PM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE: 18' | Portugal keep attacking

Ronaldo provides an angle to Neves and the two plays a one two pass. Vitinha with a cross and Ronaldo tries a bicycle kick but falls. Congo survive. And there's another wave of attack as Nuno Mendes comes from the deep and enters into the Congo box which is saved. The ball falls to Bruno and he shoots acroos the goal and it's just out of a sliding Silva''s reach.

POR 1-0 COD

Jun 17, 2026 10:46 PM IST
POR vs COD FIFA World Cup LIVE: 14' | Close from Congo

There's a yellow card for Bernardo Silva which looked a bit harsh. The referee thinks otherwise. Ronaldo is not happy and is pleading with the referee. Card stands, And Congo breaks and Bakambu's shot has been defelected behind.

POR 1-0 COD

Jun 17, 2026 10:43 PM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE: 10' | Close from Wissa

Congo gets the ball and Wissa has the ball, a dangerous ball in the middle now and somehow he has pulled it wide!!! Oh wow, Portugal almost caught out.

POR 1-0 COD

Jun 17, 2026 10:38 PM IST
POR vs COD FIFA World Cup LIVE: 6' | GOAL!!!

AAAAAND A GOAL!!!! Joao Neves with the strike as Diogo Jota's parents look on from the stands. An exquisite cross by Neto and Neves gets the head to it and that's gone in!!

POR 1-0 COD

Jun 17, 2026 10:37 PM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE: 5' | A few stepovers by Ronaldo

Ronaldo barrels in into the Congo box and does a bit of his vintage step overs before passing to the back. Nothing comes off it though as Congo gets a throw in.

POR 0-0 COD

Jun 17, 2026 10:34 PM IST
POR vs COD FIFA World Cup LIVE: 2' | Portugal with all the ball

In the first couple of minutes, Portugal have all the ball. They are playing square passes near the edge of the Congo penalty box and a big roar goes up as Ronaldo gets his first touch.

POR 0-0 COD

Jun 17, 2026 10:32 PM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE: 1st half begins

All the formalities are done and we are set to begin. Congo play in the blue kit and Portugal with their regular all red ensemble. We are ready to begin and Portugal starts us off.

POR 0-0 COD

Jun 17, 2026 10:25 PM IST
POR vs COD FIFA World Cup LIVE: National anthems start

Here come the players of both teams, standing around the circle with the two countries' flags flanking them on each side. The national anthems blare out for the first time in this stadium, Portugal's first, followed by Congo's.

Jun 17, 2026 10:20 PM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE: Ronaldo looks to banish 2022 ghosts

Ronaldo will remember what happened the last time he played in a World Cup. The superstar failed to score in Qatar and was benched which paved the way for Goncalo Ramos to come in the second match and score a hattrick. In 2026, Ramos is still in the team and but the 41-year-old Ronaldo will again start ahead of him.

Jun 17, 2026 10:04 PM IST
POR vs COD FIFA World Cup LIVE: Congo's WC history

1930: Did not enter
1934: Did not enter
1938: Did not enter
1950: Did not enter
1954: Did not enter
1958: Did not enter
1962: Did not enter
1966: Did not enter
1970: Did not enter

As Zaire
1974: Group Stage
1978: Did not qualify
1982: Did not qualify
1986: Did not enter
1990: Did not qualify
1994: Did not qualify

As DR Congo
1998: Did not qualify
2002: Did not qualify
2006: Did not qualify
2010: Did not qualify
2014: Did not qualify
2018: Did not qualify
2022: Did not qualify

Jun 17, 2026 09:52 PM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE: Portugal's WC history

1930: Did not enter
1934: Did not qualify
1938: Did not qualify
1950: Did not qualify
1954: Did not qualify
1958: Did not qualify
1962: Did not qualify
1966: 3rd Place
1970: Did not qualify
1974: Did not qualify
1978: Did not qualify
1982: Did not qualify
1986: Group Stage
1990: Did not qualify
1994: Did not qualify
1998: Did not qualify
2002: Group Stage
2006: Fourth Place
2010: Round of 16
2014: Group Stage
2018: Round of 16
2022: Quarterfinals

Jun 17, 2026 09:28 PM IST
POR vs COD FIFA World Cup LIVE: Head to head

This is the first ever meeting between Portugal and Congo which makes it a historic occasion in itself. Portugal are the overwhelming favourites but as France team from 2002 can attest, anything can happen in the FIFA World Cup. Can Congo pull off a 2002 Senegal tonight? We'll have to wait and see

Jun 17, 2026 09:24 PM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE: Subs

Portugal: Sa, Silva, Semedo, Dias, Dalot, Inacio, S. Costa, Nunes, Neves, Ramos, Felix, Trincao, Leao, Guedes, Conceicao

Congo: Fayulu, Epolo, Batubinsika, Kayembe, Kalulu, Mbuku, Bongonda, Sadiki, Tshibola, Pickel, Cipenga, Kakuta, Elia, Mayele, Banza.

Jun 17, 2026 09:15 PM IST
POR vs COD FIFA World Cup LIVE: Starting lineups

Portugal: Diogo Costa, Joao Cancelo, Tomas Araújo, Renato Veiga, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Pedro Neto, Cristiano Ronaldo

Congo: Mpasi Nazu; Wan-Bissaka, Tuanzebe, Mbemba, Kapuadi, Masuaku; Mukau, Moutoussamy, Kayembe; Wissa, Bakumbu.

Jun 17, 2026 09:00 PM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE: The tournament so far

June 12: Mexico 2-0 South Africa

June 12: South Korea 2-1 Czechia

June 13: Canada 1-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina

June 13: USA 4-1 Paraguay

June 14: Qatar 1-1 Switzerland

June 14: Brazil 1-1 Morocco

June 14: Haiti 0-1 Scotland

June 14: Australia 2-0 Turkey

June 14: Germany 7-1 Curacao

June 15: Netherlands 2-2 Japan

June 15: Ivory Coast 1-0 Ecuador

June 15: Sweden 5-1 Tunisia

June 15: Spain 0-0 Cape Verde

June 16: Belgium 1-1 Egypt

June 16: Saudi Arabia 1-1 Uruguay

June 16: Iran 2-2 New Zealand

June 17: France 3-1 Senegal

June 17: Iraq 1-4 Norway

June 17: Argentina 3-0 Algeria

June 17: Austria 3-1 Jordan

Jun 17, 2026 08:54 PM IST
POR vs COD FIFA World Cup LIVE: Fernades--the heart of Portugal's midfield engine

If Ronaldo is the face of this Portugal side, Manchester united Bruno Fernades is its heartbeat. Every ball which Ronaldo and the other forwards will latch on to this World Cup will come from the midfield engine of Fernandes, Vitinha and Joao Neves. Fernandes recently broke the all time EPL assists record and dragged the in-transition Manchester United to 3rd while his midfield partners are coming off the back of back to back Champions League triumphs with PSG.

Jun 17, 2026 08:38 PM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE: Ronaldo eyes the records

Ronaldo, playing his 6th World Cup, is standing in front of a plethora of records. If he scores against Congo on Wednesday, he will become the only player to find the net in each of 6 World Cups. If Argentina lose early and Portugal go all the way, Ronaldo could leap frog Messi to become the player with the highest number of appearances in the World Cup. He can also become the oldest goal-scorer in the World Cup's history with teammate Pepe currently holding the record.

Jun 17, 2026 08:25 PM IST
POR vs COD FIFA World Cup LIVE: Ronaldo still the biggest goal threat

While Ronaldo's form is a suspect in recent tentpole events like the World Cup 2022 and Euro 2024, He has been scoring quite a few in international colours. In Portugal's victorious Nations Lague 2024-25 campaigns, he struck 8 times against high caliber opponents like Croatia and Scotland (Group stage), Denmark (Quarterfinal), Germany (semifinal) and Spain (final). In the World Cup qualifiers, he scored 5 times.

Jun 17, 2026 08:17 PM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE: Group K matches

June 17: Portugal vs DR Congo

June 18: Uzbekistan vs Colombia

June 23: Portugal vs Uzbekistan

June 24: Colombia vs DR Congo

June 28: Colombia vs Portugal

June 28: DR Congo vs Uzbekistan

Jun 17, 2026 08:09 PM IST
POR vs COD FIFA World Cup LIVE: Check out the Groups

Group A: Mexico, South Africa, Republic of Korea, Czechia
Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti
Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, Turkey
Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Curaçao
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde
Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, Iraq
Group J: Argentina, Austria, Algeria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, Colombia, DR Congo, Uzbekistan
Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama

Jun 17, 2026 08:00 PM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE: Congo's journey

On the other end of the spectrum to Portugal stands DR Congo. After they qualified for their fist World Cup in 52 years, there was an Ebola outbreak in the country. The players who had initially looked to train there had to leave and shift base in Belgium. After that, they moved to Marbella where their training match against Chile was cancelled. The players also had to maintain a 21-day bubble before entering the United States to play the World Cup.

Jun 17, 2026 07:50 PM IST
POR vs COD FIFA World Cup LIVE: Ronaldo will need to find his best

After Messi's hattrick, the onus will be on Ronaldo to guide Portugal to a good start. But it won't be easy for the 41-year-old, also playing his 6th World Cup. The last two major events haven't been kind to the legend with Ronaldo scoring just once in Qatar in 2022 while failing to find the net even once in Euro 2024. In both occasions, Portugal were dumped out of the competitions at the quarterfinal stages, first to Morocco and then to France.

Jun 17, 2026 07:41 PM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE: Form Guide

POR: LWDWWW

COD: WLWWDL

Jun 17, 2026 07:34 PM IST
POR vs COD FIFA World Cup LIVE: Predicted lineups

Portugal: Costa, Semedo, Dias, Inacio, Dalot, Neves, Vitinha, Trincao, Fernandes, Neto, Ronaldo

Congo: Mpasi-Nzau, Wan-Bissaka, Mbemba, Tuanzebe, Kayembe, Bongonda, Moutoussamy, Sadiki, Mukau, Mbuku, Wissa

Jun 17, 2026 07:33 PM IST
Portugal vs Congo World Cup LIVE: Hello and welcome

Cristiano Ronaldo will finally grace us with his presence on a football pitch for the first time in this World Cup when Portugal open their campaign against DR Congo in Houston. After Lionel Messi lit up the stage earlier in the day with a hattrick vs Algeria, all eyes will now be trained on his eternal rival Ronaldo who will look to start this tournament off with a bang. Follow us to find out how it goes live.

Why Bruno Fernandes, not Cristiano Ronaldo, holds Portugal’s World Cup key

Bruno Fernandes once had a coach who told him that if he wanted to be a top player, he should be a central defender, while if he just wanted to be a good player, he should be a midfielder. Bruno ended up choosing the latter and is now proving his prediction wrong and showing that sometimes it’s better to listen to one’s instincts. “I wanted to be the best out of all of them. And if I need to do a nutmeg on someone, I will do it – I don’t care,” he said in a Manchester United podcast in 2020. (READ MORE)

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