Ronaldo, Portugal vs. Congo Odds, Live Stream Schedule, Group Scenarios for World Cup 2026

Cristiano Ronaldo's final quest to win the World Cup begins on Wednesday in Houston against DR Congo.

Portugal enters the tournament as one of the favorites, but the World Cup hasn't been kind to it lately. The 2016 European champion hasn't made it past the quarterfinals since 2006.

Portugal has arguably the best midfield in the tournament, but scoring might be an issue if the 41-year-old Ronaldo isn't on form.

DR Congo is looking to play spoiler in the Group K opener. The African side is likely fighting for third place in the group with Uzbekistan behind Portugal and Colombia.

Portugal vs. DR Congo Info

Date: Wednesday, June 17

Start Time: 1 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Live Stream: Fox One

Odds (via FanDuel Sportsbook): Portugal (-360; bet $360 to win $100); DR Congo (+1000; bet $100 to win $1,000); Draw (+460)

Portugal needs to come out of its opener with three points.

The Portuguese are expected to be in a tight battle for the Group K crown with Colombia, who they face on Matchday 3.

The European side should dominate the possession battle on Wednesday, similar to how Germany and Spain played in their World Cup openers.

Portugal is obviously trying to avoid the same fate Spain experienced against Cape Verde. An opening draw wouldn't kill Portugal's title-winning hopes, but it might alter the plan throughout the group, especially if Colombia beats Uzbekistan later on Wednesday.

In Vitinha, Joao Neves and Bruno Fernandes, Portugal has arguably the most talented set of midfielders in the world. Vitinha and Joao Neves are coming off a double-winning season at Paris Saint-Germain and Bruno Fernandes was an assisting wizard at Manchester United during their English Premier League campaign.

The concern for Portugal is who, outside of Ronaldo, scores the goals. None of the strikers listed on the World Cup roster have more than 12 international tallies.

Goncalo Ramos and Joao Felix are the most experienced options. Ramos has 10 goals in 25 appearances for Portugal, while Joao Felix has 12 goals in 54 games.

Wednesday's game and others could turn into the Ronaldo show. After all, he can still deliver at a high level at 41 years old. But the superstar can't handle all of the scoring, which is why it is imperative for Portugal to get another striker going during the group stage.

DR Congo came in fourth at the 2023 African Cup of Nations, but then it was eliminated in the round of 16 in 2025. That's the only real tournament experience the African side has.

Real Betis' Cedric Bakambu, Newcastle United's Yoane Wissa and West Ham United's Aaron Wan-Bissaka are the most notable players on the DR Congo roster.

The Leopards will have to defend for most of the 90 minutes, so any chances they create will come on the counter attack.

Portugal's lengthy experience and quality across the board should be too much to handle. A multi-goal win is expectation for the Portuguese to get their World Cup started off right.