Portugal now knows the road it must take at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Roberto Martínez’s team was drawn into Group K with Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uzbekistan, a set of opponents that fixes both the schedule and the stakes before a ball is kicked.
For Cristiano Ronaldo, the draw matters for a different reason as well. At 40 years old, he is expected to play what is likely his last World Cup, and Portugal’s opening match on Wednesday, 17 June 2026 at 1:00 PM ET against the Democratic Republic of the Congo at NRG Stadium in Houston gives him the first chance to push toward the one major title he has never won.
The group is not being framed as a brutal one, and on paper Portugal should believe it can advance. But World Cup draws have a way of looking kinder in June than they feel in June of the following year, when one slip can change the whole bracket and leave even the most accomplished side chasing points it cannot recover. Portugal plays Uzbekistan on Tuesday, 23 June 2026 at 1:00 PM ET, also at NRG Stadium in Houston, before closing against Colombia on Saturday, 27 June 2026 at 7:30 PM ET at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.
That final match may end up deciding the group order, because the top two sides advance and every goal can matter when opponents are separated by little more than a result or a tiebreak. Portugal has the pedigree to handle it: its best World Cup finish is third place, reached in England 1966 and again in Germany 2006, while its other major titles include UEFA EURO 2016 and two editions of the UEFA Nations League. The World Cup remains the one trophy that has stayed out of reach for Portugal and for Ronaldo, who will share a small piece of history with Leo Messi by becoming one of the first footballers to play in six FIFA World Cup final tournaments.
U.S. viewers will be able to follow Portugal’s matches in Spanish on Telemundo and Universo and stream them on Peacock, giving the team a clear broadcast home as the countdown to next summer begins. For Martínez, the draw has now turned Portugal’s World Cup into a schedule, and the first date on it arrives in Houston.
