Group K

Ronaldo's Last Ride

Venues: Houston, Miami, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Atlanta

The Group

Group K is exactly what it looks like on paper: a two-horse race with a pair of debutants filling out the card. Portugal arrive as FIFA's fifth-ranked side, reigning Nations League champions, and overwhelming group favourites at -250 on BetMGM. Roberto Martínez runs a possession-dominant 4-3-3 where Vitinha and João Neves, both Champions League winners with PSG, control tempo, and the width comes from Rafael Leão, Pedro Neto, and Francisco Conceição. Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, leads the side at a record sixth World Cup. He netted 28 goals in 30 Saudi Pro League appearances this season, so don't write off his finishing touch just yet. Colombia are the genuine threat. Luis Díaz lifted the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich in his debut season there and arrives in arguably the best form of his career. Néstor Lorenzo's side finished third in CONMEBOL qualifying with 28 points, edging Uruguay and Brazil on goal difference, and pushed Argentina all the way to the Copa América final in 2024. Their weak point is defensive fragility and post-Copa form dipped, Croatia and a weakened France beat them in March friendlies, which is a concern. DR Congo return to the World Cup after a 52-year absence, sealed by Axel Tuanzebe's 100th-minute winner against Jamaica. Sébastien Desabre has leaned heavily on diaspora talent; Yoane Wissa and Aaron Wan-Bissaka give them Premier League bite, but the entire 26-man squad are World Cup first-timers. Uzbekistan, under Fabio Cannavaro, are the tournament's true innocents. They qualified impressively in Asia, six wins, three draws, one loss in the third round, but their squad is overwhelmingly domestic, and Abdukodir Khusanov arrives at Manchester City short of match sharpness. The group decider, Portugal versus Colombia in Miami on June 27, will settle the top-spot argument. Everything else is largely formality.