Portugal vs DR Congo Prediction and Betting Preview | World Cup June 17
Portugal vs DR Congo Preview
Did you know…In the early 2000s, GoldSheet had a sister publication named European Soccer Weekly?! Long before every European soccer (cough football) match was broadcast in the US on ESPN, Peacock and Paramount, Bruce Marshall and Co. were breaking down the action on the pitch. We offer some thoughts on Wednesday’s Portugal vs DR Congo matchup in Group K from NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
Portugal vs DR Congo Odds
| Game Time | Wednesday June 17 at 1pm ET / 10am PT |
| Location | NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas |
| TV | FOX |
| Portugal | -370 |
| DR Congo | +1000 |
| Draw | +470 |
| Total | 2.5 Goals (o -130 / u +106) |
Odds above courtesy of FanDuel as of June 16.
Portugal’s Current Form
Portugal enters the 2026 World Cup with the exact same storyline it had prior to Euro 2024. After beating Spain and Germany en route to the Nations League title, Roberto Martínez unquestionably has one of the best rosters in this event. The question, specifically surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo, revolves around how well that roster can gel and play complementary football.
The Portuguese have gotten off to strong starts in tournament settings in recent years. At Euro 2020 (played in 2021), Portugal beat Hungary 3-0. At the 2022 World Cup, Portugal beat Ghana 3-2 in the opening match. At Euro 2024, Portugal beat Czechia 2-1 in the opening match.
Portugal found the scoreboard multiple times in each of its last three matches, which includes a 2-0 win over the US, a 2-1 win over Chile and a 2-1 win over Nigeria.
That victory over Nigeria was a nice warm-up for Portugal, because Nigeria is arguably a better version of DR Congo although the Nigerians did not qualify for this event. The FIFA World Rankings have their flaws, but Nigeria is currently ranked 25th in the world while Congo is 45th. Portugal generating 61-percent possession with nine shots from inside the box against Nigeria is an encouraging tune-up for this event.
DR Congo’s Current Form
DR Congo is going to try and turn this match into a defensive slugfest. Tip your cap to Congo for the very impressive qualifying effort, but they were still out-classed by the top squads in Africa.
Congo has played Senegal three times over the past two years. In those three matches, Senegal has generated 2.88, 1.61 and 2.01 expected goals. Chile scored twice against Congo in their final warm-up match last week. Nerves may also come into play for a nation that is making its first World Cup appearance since 1974.
Portugal vs DR Congo Prediction
We are interested in Portugal to score in both halves, which is widely available around even-money in the betting market. Congo’s inexperience at this international level is going to be evident from the opening kick. As we mentioned, Portugal has a history of getting tournaments started on the right foot. At the time of posting, Portugal to score in both halves is available at:
- FanDuel +106
- DraftKings EV
- BetMGM -102
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