2026 World Cup: Portugal Gets Its Hopes Up, Then Stumbles; the Democratic Republic of the Congo Shuts Down Cristiano Ronaldo and His Teammates

Portugal’s 2026 World Cup campaign got off to a disappointing start—a draw that fell short of initial expectations—as they were held to a 1-1 tie in Houston, Texas, on the first matchday of Group K, which also features Colombia and Uzbekistan. It wasn’t enough for Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates to take the lead in the opening minutes: the Congolese team gained momentum, equalized late in the first half, and even had a few promising chances in a second half that saw no further goals.

The match began with Portugal scoring almost immediately: in the 6th minute, Joao Neves connected with a perfect header in the box after a pass from Pedro Neto. It looked like the start of a rout, but instead, the Democratic Republic of the Congo gained confidence minute by minute, and deep into first-half stoppage time—in the 50th minute—Wissa also connected with a perfect header, beating Diogo Costa and sending the teams into halftime tied at 1-1.

In the second half, Portugal’s head coach Roberto Martinez tried everything: Francisco Conceiçao, Rafael Leao, Nelson Semedo, and Gonçalo Ramos came on, while CR7 remained on the field until the end: apart from a couple of flashes of brilliance on the right by Conceição—which Ronaldo failed to capitalize on—Portugal didn’t pose any major threats to a Cameroon side that, in turn, tried to strike on the counterattack. Though they lacked a decisive edge, they earned a point that could prove crucial for qualifying for the Round of 16.

The match thus ends 1-1: the Portuguese leave the field with their heads down, while the Africans celebrate. In their second-ever World Cup appearance (the first was in 1974, when the Democratic Republic of the Congo was known as Zaire), they earn their first-ever point.