Group K is led by Portugal and completed by the Leopards of DR Congo, World Cup debutants Uzbekistan and a dangerous Colombia. Roberto Martinez's Portugal, reigning UEFA Nations League champions, build around Cristiano Ronaldo at a record sixth World Cup, Bruno Fernandes and a deep, gifted squad. Colombia bring James Rodriguez and the side that reached the 2024 Copa America final. DR Congo are back on the biggest stage for the first time since 1974, and Uzbekistan reach the finals for the first time in their history. This group runs through Houston, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Miami and Atlanta. This is the full fixture list with venues and dates, the qualification picture, and a prediction for who reaches the new Round of 32.
Portugal lead a genuinely balanced group: Colombia carry real attacking quality, DR Congo are athletic and European-based, and Uzbekistan arrive on a historic first qualification. Here is the Group K field.
The seeded side. Roberto Martinez's Portugal are reigning UEFA Nations League champions, built around Cristiano Ronaldo at a record sixth World Cup, Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, Joao Neves and Rafael Leao. The deepest squad in the group. Read our full Portugal squad guide.
The main challenger. Nestor Lorenzo's side reached the 2024 Copa America final and carry quality in James Rodriguez, Luis Diaz, Jhon Duran and Richard Rios. Strong favourites for one of the two qualifying places. Read our Colombia guide.
The Leopards. Back at the World Cup for the first time since 1974 under Sebastien Desabre, with Yoane Wissa, Cedric Bakambu and Chancel Mbemba. Athletic and dangerous, they can push for a best-third place. Read our DR Congo guide.
The first-time qualifiers. Coached by Italy's 2006 World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro and led by captain Eldor Shomurodov and Manchester City defender Abdukodir Khusanov, Uzbekistan reach the finals for the first time. Read our Uzbekistan guide.
Six Group K matches across three matchdays, split between the United States and Mexico. Portugal play their first two games at NRG Stadium in Houston before finishing in Miami, while Colombia and Uzbekistan open at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. The final round on 27 June kicks off simultaneously. Times below are US Eastern.
For the full picture of all 104 games and kickoff times in your own time zone, use the WorldCuply.com match schedule. Portugal's path is covered in detail in our Portugal squad guide.
The 2026 World Cup is the first with 48 teams in 12 groups of four. That changes how a group plays out:
For a full breakdown of the new structure, read our World Cup 2026 format explainer.
A balanced group with a clear favourite and a real fight behind. Here is how we see it:
Portugal are the standout, but the race for second between Colombia and DR Congo could run to the final matchday. Follow it live with the schedule and the Match-Day Notifier.
Group K is one of 12 groups at the 2026 World Cup. Explore the rest of the WorldCuply.com guide:
Roberto Martinez's Nations League champions, Ronaldo's last dance, and the deep golden generation.
Read the Portugal guide ›James Rodriguez, Luis Diaz and the Copa America finalists who are a tricky draw for anyone.
Read the Colombia guide ›Defending champions Argentina with Austria, Algeria and debutants Jordan, with full fixtures and a prediction.
Read the Group J guide ›All 104 fixtures across 16 host cities, with kickoff times you can filter to your team and time zone.
Open the schedule ›This guide was hand-written from the following reporting and reference pages, used to confirm the Group K teams, fixtures, venues and dates:
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