World Cup 2026 Group K preview: Prediction, odds, full team overviews

Portugal is the clear favorite in Group K, but with an aging Cristiano Ronaldo, the perennial powerhouse might be on upset watch. Can Colombia, Uzbekistan or DR Congo shake things up?

The Post previews Group K at the World Cup.

Teams listed in predicted order of finish.

Portugal

Odds to win the group: -200

What you need to know: Cristiano Ronaldo will be the center of attention for Portugal, but it’s not even clear that the team is at its best with the 41-year-old in its starting 11. Ronaldo has just one goal in 10 matches between the last World Cup and European Championship, and that was a penalty. Moreover, Portugal often has looked more relaxed and cohesive at those tournaments without Ronaldo on the field. Even so, the thought of Ronaldo not playing a huge role at this World Cup is hard to digest.

How they play: Portugal flits between a back three and a back four, sometimes mid-match, and uses an aggressive press. Their fullbacks, usually Nuno Mendes and Diogo Dalot, push high up the field. Though Portugal is comfortable without dominating possession, midfielders such as Bruno Fernandes, João Neves and Bernardo Silva have so much creativity and can make things happen.

Star player: For all the focus on Ronaldo, Fernandes, the Manchester United captain, is Portugal’s best player on a week-in, week-out basis. You would be hard-pressed to find a player more consistent at the club level this season. Terrifically creative, always around the ball and as durable as they come, Fernandes has grown into a legitimate superstar over the past handful of seasons.

World Cup history: For a country we’re used to hyping up as one of the favorites, Portugal’s World Cup pedigree is a tad underwhelming. A third-place finish in 1966 and a fourth-place finish in 2006 mark their only two semifinal appearances. In the Ronaldo era, a quarterfinal loss to Morocco four years ago, when Ronaldo didn’t start either knockout-stage game, is Portugal’s best result.

Colombia

Odds: +200

What you need to know: Colombia will bring the sort of team we’ve come to expect from it. Lots of talent, two superstars in Luis Díaz and James Rodríguez, a highly watchable attack and a suspect defense. Qualifying wins over Brazil and Argentina show you what this team is capable of. Losing three of four qualifiers, including a shock defeat to Bolivia, to temporarily put their campaign at risk shows you that consistency is an issue.

How they play: Colombia’s identity is to play with joy, flair and creativity. Manager Néstor Lorenzo’s side is fun to watch, playing quick, dynamic attacking football around Rodríguez, Díaz, Jhon Arias and Juan Fernando Quintero, who brings significant energy off the bench. Lorenzo generally sets up in a 4-2-3-1, and his outside backs will get up the field.

Star player: Díaz has supplanted Rodríguez as Colombia’s best player, though there will still be plenty of attention on the latter throughout the tournament. A pacey winger who had nearly 30 goal contributions for German giants Bayern Munich this season, Díaz has excellent ability with the ball at his feet and plenty of creativity. He should be Colombia’s leading man.

World Cup history: A memorable 2014 quarterfinal appearance, which featured Rodríguez scoring one of the great goals ever in the competition, was Colombia’s high-water mark. Los Cafeteros have qualified for six World Cups, making the knockouts three times, including a Round of 16 defeat to England on penalties in 2018. After finishing as Copa America runner-up in 2021, Colombia surprisingly failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Odds: 14/1

What you need to know: DR Congo had to win a continental playoff and an intercontinental playoff to qualify for its first World Cup since 1974, beating Cameroon and Nigeria, and then, finally, Jamaica on Axel Tuanzebe’s extra-time winner. There’s a surprising number of players in the squad with European pedigree: Tuanzebe, right back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, striker Yoane Wissa and striker Cédric Bakambu among them. That’s in part due to coach Sebastian Desabre, who’s recruited well from the country’s diaspora.

How they play: Desabre likes to set up with four at the back. DR Congo can sit back and defend if necessary, or cut teams apart with a midfield that includes Noah Sadiki, Charles Pickel, Ngal’ayel Mukau and Nathanaël Mbuku, all of whom play in top-flight European leagues.

Star player: Wissa, who scored 20 goals in the Premier League last season with Brentford, edges out Bakambu here. Though his production fell off this season with a move to Newcastle United, Wissa is a versatile attacker and a strong finisher. He should have a key role to play at this World Cup.

World Cup history: The 1974 appearance, when the country was still known as Zaire, was the only previous time DR Congo qualified for a World Cup. They lost all three of their games at that tournament, including a 9-0 defeat to Yugoslavia that’s tied for the worst-ever loss in World Cup history, and failed to score a goal.

Uzbekistan

Odds: 35/1

What you need to know: Uzbekistan has the manager most likely to make fans do a double take in 2006 World Cup champion and legendary Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro. Not only that, but Cannavaro got the job in October, after his predecessor Timur Kapadze had led Uzbekistan to its first World Cup qualification. The idea behind the move, evidently, was to make Uzbekistan a more defensive side.

How they play: Uzbekistan figures to be a reliable “bet the under” team at this World Cup. Don’t be surprised to see the White Wolves sit back and play for draws, especially against high-powered opposition such as Portugal and Colombia, in the hopes that they can eke out enough points to advance as a third-place team.

Star player: Abdukodir Khusanov is one of just two players in Uzbekistan’s squad who plays for a club team in a big five European league. The 22-year-old center back has become a regular starter for Manchester City, and looks like a big part of the future at the megaclub.

World Cup history: None. Not only that, but Uzbekistan is both the first Central Asian country and the first double-landlocked country — a landlocked country surrounded by other landlocked countries — to qualify for a World Cup.

Group K World Cup schedule

Portugal vs. Congo DR, Wed., June 17, 1 p.m., Houston

Uzbekistan vs. Colombia, Wed., June 17, 10 p.m., Mexico City

Portugal vs. Uzbekistan, Tues., June 23, 1 p.m., Houston

Colombia vs. Congo DR, Tues., June 23, 10 p.m., Guadalajara

Colombia vs. Portugal, Sat., June 27, 7:30 p.m., Miami

Congo DR vs. Uzbekistan, Sat., June 27, 7:30 p.m., Atlanta