2026 World Cup: breakdown of Portugal’s group stage opponents | OneFootball

The draw for the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup was made official on December 5th, and we are now on the road to North America. The draw threw up plenty of interesting clashes, with Mexico raising the curtain in Mexico City against South Africa in a repeat of the 2010 opener, while France will kick things off against Senegal, just as they did as defending champions back in 2002. England, meanwhile, will face off against their old nemesis Croatia, while Scotland are welcomed back to football’s grandest stage with a clash against heavyweights Brazil.

Portugal’s qualifying campaign

Portugal also now know their fate, and throughout much of qualifying, the Seleção das Quinas were imperious. Following on from their second UEFA Nations League trophy in the summer, expectations were high, and those expectations seemed well placed when Roberto Martinez’s men reeled off three straight wins to begin their campaign. Then, however, a last-gasp Dominik Szoboszlai equalizer for Hungary in Lisbon, coupled with a shock 2-0 defeat to the Republic of Ireland in Dublin – and with a Cristiano Ronaldo red card – set the alarm bells ringing.

A 9-1 drubbing of Armenia in the final round of qualifiers duly saw Portugal progress to North America as group winners, but online betting sites don’t currently consider the 2016 European Champions as one of the favourites. While the World Cup live betting odds at Bovada won’t be available until the action gets underway on June 11th, 2026, their outright markets certainly are, and CR7 and Co. currently find themselves considered an 11/1 shot, well behind 9/2 favourites Spain.

But regardless of odds, Portugal’s World Cup path is now set in stone. So, who will they face in North America? And who potentially will they have to play if they are to ensure their greatest ever player, Cristiano Ronaldo, brings the curtain down on his all-time great career with a maiden World Cup crown? Let’s take a look.

Colombia: the toughest test

Portugal were drawn into Group K, meaning that they will have to wait six full days from the World Cup’s June 11th opener in Mexico City before they can kick off their campaign. Their opening clash will come against the winner of the first inter-confederation playoff, likely to be either African outfit DR Congo or Caribbean nation Jamaica. The Seleção das Quinas will be expecting to kick things off with a victory as they begin their march to the trophy. That said, it should be noted that Congo in particular have some high-profile players such as former FC Porto centre-back Chancel Mbemba (the captain) and West Ham defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and they knocked out African heavyweights Nigeria in the continental playoff round. Portugal cannot underestimate such opponents.

Next up comes another apparently favourable clash, this time against tournament debutants Uzbekistan. The Uzbeks took full advantage of the expanded World Cup – the number of participants has been increased from 32 to 48 – providing twice the number of qualifying slots to Asia than in previous years. Back in 2022, four AFC nations secured an automatic spot in Qatar. Next summer, however, there will be eight Asian nations that qualify directly.

One of those is the Uzbeks, who punched their tickets to the grandest stage in world football for the first time by finishing as runners-up to tournament regulars Iran. Their qualifying campaign was built on the back of staunch defence led by Manchester City’s Abdukodir Khusanov, which conceded just four goals in six games. İstanbul Başakşehir striker and Uzbek captain Eldor Shomurodov, meanwhile, are the primary source of goals.

Colombia, however, will represent Portugal’s biggest test. The South American giants reached the Copa America final last summer, and with the likes of Luis Diaz and James Rodríguez on song, the Cafeteros breezed through qualifying. Two other players in the Liga Portugal – Luis Suárez and midfielder Richard Ríos – also need no introduction to Portuguese football fans having made a big impact was Sporting CP and SL Benfica respectively. If Portugal slips up in either of their two opening games, then they will face a stern test in the form of the Colombians in their final group game.

The road to the final

Despite the presence of Colombia, Portugal is still a huge favourite to win Group K and do so at a canter. Should they live up to the billing, then they can expect to face Switzerland in the Round of 16. The Swiss were one of the most impressive teams at Euro 2024 last summer, dumping out Italy in the Round of 16 before losing a penalty shootout to England in the quarterfinals, despite arguably being the better team. They will certainly be no pushovers.

Should Portugal come through that unscathed, football fans the world over could well be treated to one of the most iconic games in history. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal vs Lionel Messi’s reigning champions Argentina in the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals.

The two all-time greats have ruled over football for the better part of two decades, but they have never faced each other at a World Cup. With Ronaldo turning 41 in February and Messi to turn 39 midway through the tournament, this will be both players’ final venture onto football’s grandest stage. What a prospect it would be if the two icons faced off one last time with a place in the World Cup semi-final on the line. Indeed, this was amongst the biggest headlines the world over following the draw.