Team K preview
Cristiano Ronaldo arrives at the sixth World Cup and is still chasing the one trophy that has always eluded him. That story alone makes Team K worth watching.
But Portugal has company to be taken seriously. Colombia arrive with James Rodriguez chasing one last minute of glory, DR Congo are back for the first time in 52 years with a squad full of Premier League talent, and debutants Uzbekistan – led by a World Cup-winning Ballon d’Or winner, no less – are here to showcase Asia’s growing weight on the world stage.
We look at each group in detail.
Group K matches of the World Cup and where to watch
Here is the complete list of games. The same as the star starts on the previous day.
| Compare | The day | Start time (BST) | ET | PT | Location | UK TV channel |
| Portugal vs DR Congo | Wednesday, June 17 | 18:00 | 13:00 | 10:00 | Houston | BBC, iPlayer |
| Uzbekistan vs Colombia | Thursday, June 18 | 03:00 | 22:00* | 19:00* | Mexico City | BBC, iPlayer |
| Portugal vs Uzbekistan | Tuesday, June 23 | 18:00 | 13:00 | 10:00 | Houston | ITV, ITVX |
| Colombia vs DR Congo | Wednesday, June 24 | 03:00 | 22:00* | 19:00* | Zapopan | ITV, ITVX |
| Colombia vs Portugal | The Sun, June 28 | 00:30 | 19:30* | 16:30* | Miami | BBC, iPlayer |
| DR Congo vs Uzbekistan | The Sun, June 28 | 00:30 | 19:30* | 16:30* | Atlanta | BBC, iPlayer |
Here, we look at the groups in detail.
Colombia: 2026 World Cup preview, star player, prediction
Trainer: Nestor Lorenzo
Eligibility: CONMEBOL qualifiers (third)
Best World Cup: Quarter-final (2014)
Colombia is back. They missed out on Qatar 2022 altogether, a shame for one of South America’s top soccer nations. They will not waste an opportunity to make their presence felt this time.
Nestor Lorenzo guided Colombia to third place in CONMEBOL, finishing above Uruguay and Brazil on goal difference.
Luis Diaz arrives from Bayern Munich having scored seven goals in the qualifiers, only Messi has bettered that number in all of CONMEBOL.
The platform holds a critical quality as well. Richard Rios (Benfica) and Jefferson Lerma (Crystal Palace) provide the engine room, while Jorge Carrascal and Juan Fernando Quintero provide intelligence from deeper positions.
Cucho Hernandez, now at Real Betis, gives Lorenzo a versatile option in attack who can drop inside or run in behind.
Colombia Star Player: The Last Dance of James Rodriguez
James Rodriguez won the golden boot with six goals at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, a tally that made him Colombia’s top scorer in the finals.
He also provided the most assists, seven, of any player in the entire 2026 CONMEBOL qualifying campaign.
He managed less than 200 minutes of football at Minnesota United before going to the national team camp, but if the man is in it at the World Cup, there are few players in the world who are more gifted.
Prediction: Colombia make the knockouts
The final group game against Portugal in Miami is the most important. If Colombia gets there with the four points they have already secured, they will face Ronaldo and his teammates. being able to draw may be enough. Expect them to succeed.
DR Congo: 2026 World Cup preview, star player, prediction
Trainer: Sebastien Desabre
Eligibility: Inter-confederation playoffs (Winner of Path 1)
Best World Cup: Group stage (1974, as Zaire)
Fifty two years. Meanwhile, Leopards have been waiting a long time to return to the big league in football.
DR Congo’s road to the 2026 World Cup has been one of the most unprecedented qualifying campaigns in history, ending up in the play-offs to book their spot, the last team to secure their spot, as recently as March 31, 2026.
Coach Sebastien Desabre has put together a team that will show Congo’s dispersal across Europe. Yoane Wissa, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Noah Sadiki, and Axel Tuanzebe all played 2025-26 in the Premier League.
Veteran striker Cedric Bakambu (Real Betis) is coming off a big game, with 21 goals to his name. Captain Chancel Mbemba, a former Newcastle and Marseille defender now at Lille, held the defensive line with 107 caps.
DR Congo star: Wissa will light up the World Cup
The Newcastle winger is a threat to the Leopards, he is quick, lethal in front of goal, and has ridden back to five brilliant Premier League seasons.
Wissa are returning to the national stage after missing out on the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and will be eager to make a mark on the biggest stage.
Prediction: DR Congo push for the knockout
With the eight third-placed teams progressing, one win will be enough to ensure progress to the Round of 32. The Uzbekistan match is about to be played. An upset against Colombia is entirely possible. This is not a team that is just here to make up numbers
Portugal: 2026 World Cup preview, star player, prediction
Trainer: Roberto Martinez
Eligibility: UEFA Group F winners
Best World Cup: Third Place (1966)
At the age of 41, Cristiano Ronaldo will make history in the sixth World Cup, chasing the one big trophy that has always eluded him.
Roberto Martinez has selected a 26-man squad that combines Ronaldo’s experience with the prime years of stars such as Bruno Fernandes and Ruben Dias.
This is not a one-man band. Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, and Rafael Leao are at the forefront of a team built to eventually win. Portugal arrive as FIFA’s fifth-ranked team and reigning Nations League champions.
Seven players come from the Premier League and four from treble winners Paris Saint-Germain.
The club also has a symbolic place dedicated to Diogo Jota, the former striker who died in a car accident last July, which is a painful reminder of what this club and this nation have been through.
Ronaldo is available for all group games after avoiding a three-game red card suspension in a World Cup qualifier against the Republic of Ireland in November.
Star Player: Ronaldo’s final chapter
Ronaldo arrives knowing that this could be his last chance to lift football’s golden trophy.
He has scored 940 goals for club and country in the 2025-26 season and is chasing the 1,000 goal milestone.
In Portugal alone he has scored 143 goals worldwide, more than any other player in history.
The debate over whether he is helping or hindering the team strategically will rage throughout the summer. It always is. And every summer, you tend to make the argument useless.
Prediction: Portugal blows
This team is made for Portugal and they should win it comfortably. The real test starts in the knockouts, and by then, Ronaldo will be perfect.
Uzbekistan: 2026 World Cup preview, star player, prediction
Trainer: Fabio Cannavaro
Eligibility: AFC finished second in the third round of Group A
Best World Cup: The first appearance
Thirty-four years of trying. A nation of 38 million people finally says: we are in the World Cup.
Since gaining independence following the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, Uzbekistan has failed in the last seven attempts to qualify for the World Cup.
This time, they succeeded. Fabio Cannavaro took over in 2024, bringing the concept of a man who captained Italy to the 2006 World Cup and won the Ballon d’Or.
Uzbekistan have been very good in qualifying, losing just one of their 16 matches, a record that needs to be respected this summer.
15 of the 26 members of the team play in the Uzbekistan Super League, which gives the team exposure to big countries that may take it a little bit at first. Khusanov is the only representative of elite European football.
Star Player: Deadly Duo is ready to go
With 43 goals in 88 games, Shomurodov has scored 11 more international goals than any other player in Uzbekistan’s history.
He enjoyed an excellent loan spell at Istanbul Basaksehir, scoring 13 times in 18 appearances heading into the competition.
Abdukodir Khusanov at Manchester City gives Uzbekistan the most recognizable name in English eyes, but Shomurodov is the heartbeat.
Prediction: Uzbekistan fight but fall short
The final match of Uzbekistan vs DR Congo on June 28 in Atlanta may well be the game that defines this group for both sides.
And he can’t lose it. Cannavaro will have his team organized, disciplined and dangerous on the counter. Do not remove them.
Predicted Group K table for the 2026 World Cup
| It wins | Drawings | Loss | Points | |
| In Portugal | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| in Colombia | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| DR Congo | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Uzbekistan | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
