World Cup 2026 betting tips: Group K predictions, best bets and preview

Football

Tue May 26, 2026 · 5h ago

We break down every team, in every group in our World Cup 2026 betting guide, giving our take on how things will play out and selecting some best bets. This is Group K, which features Portugal, Columbia, DR Congo and Uzbekistan.

Football betting tips: World Cup

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Fixtures & kick-off times (BST)

June 17: Portugal 18:00 DR Congo; June 18: Uzbekistan 03:00 Colombia; June 23: Portugal 18:00 Uzbekistan; June 24: Columbia 03:00 DR Congo; June 28: Columbia 00:30 Portugal & DR Congo vs Uzbekistan

PORTUGAL are the sixth favourites to win the World Cup behind Spain, France, England, Argentina and Brazil.

They have a squad to rival everyone of those nations above them in the betting, emerged from qualification with some of the best attacking numbers in Europe and have won a major international trophy within the last decade.

What’s not to like? Well, it all depends on Cristiano Ronaldo’s involvement.

The 41-year-old forward looks set to compete in his sixth World Cup. He holds the all-time international appearance record (226) and goals record (143) but in his current guise, does he make Portugal a better team?

The general consensus with the natives is he doesn’t.

Seleção’s manager Roberto Martinez suggested in a rather cryptic interview that he would do what is best for the team with regards to starting Ronaldo. But Ronaldo started five games in qualification before getting sent off for a petulant retaliation against Ireland, ranking sixth for most minutes played within the squad.

He certainly has an impact on the team's style. With him in the side Portugal are more one dimensional. The team becomes more direct, puts more crosses into the box and subsequently becomes more predictable.

You can’t draw too many conclusions from games with Armenia, Hungary and Ireland in qualification but the last two major tournaments offer pretty good insight.

At Euro 2024, they topped their group before getting knocked out by France on penalties in the quarter-final. And they were eliminated in identical circumstances at the last World Cup, they topped their group before getting knocked out in the quarters, this time by Morocco.

If Portugal are going to buck this trend, Ronaldo might have to settle for a bit part role but we’ll have to wait until the summer to find out if Martinez has the bottle to do it…

As for the man himself, Ronaldo didn’t score a single goal at the Euro 2024, he only managed one at the last World Cup and staggeringly has never scored a goal in the World Cup knockout stages (7 apps).

Maybe it’s time to phase him out.

COLUMBIA had to sit out Qatar 2022, the fallout saw ex-Swindon defender Nestor Lorenzo appointed as their manager.

He masterminded the 25-game unbeaten run, which included the run to the Copa America final in 2024 where they lost to Argentina in extra-time.

World Cup qualification looked a formality. After 10 games they had 19 points (W5 D4 L1) but a winless run of six games (D3 L3) set up a nervy finish.

Columbia went onto win the last two games against Bolivia and Venezuela by an aggregate scoreline of 9-3 to finish in third spot ahead of Uruguay on goals-scored. What were you worried about?

Los Cafeteros scored 28 goals in total across qualification (2nd) and conceded an average of a goal a game, but it is the offensive numbers which are worth flagging here because the number nine slot was becoming a bit of an issue for Lorenzo, not for a lack of options.

It was Jhon Duran’s position to lose but the controversial 22-year-old, who’s had three clubs since leaving Aston Villa, hasn't featured since he was subbed at half-time against Peru with an injury.

Luis Diaz was tried in a central role in Argentina and then Jhon Cordoba had an audition against Bolivia before Lorenzo turned to Luis Suarez for that clash against Venezuela.

The former Watford frontman netted four times, flanked by Diaz and James Rodriguez, and looks like the man to perfectly balance a star-studded attack.

Columbia also looked sharp from set pieces in qualification. With James Rodriguez’s wand of a left foot taking them, it isn’t hard to see why.

He set up seven goals in qualification, one for Yerry Mina, one for Yerson Mosquera and one for Davinson Sanchez.

So, Columbia’s centre back’s prices to score anytime could be worth a look in the group stage.

The road to Canada, Mexico and the USA has been long and complicated for DR CONGO.

It’ll be the Leopards’ (as they are known) first appearance at a World Cup in 52 years and boy did they have to work for it.

After finishing second in FIFA World Cup African Qualifying Group B, they were put into a mini-tournament in Morocco comprising the other three best runners-up from Africa’s nine qualification groups.

They beat Cameroon in extra-time in the semi’s then beat Nigeria on penalties in the final. That earnt them a spot in the inter-confederation play-offs where they beat Jamaica in extra-time.

So, just 10 group games, two African play-off matches and an intern-confederation play-off finale for them to become the 10th African nation at World Cup 2026.

Surely all that toil will stand them in good stead for the summer.

Head coach Sebastien Desabre seems to think so, saying those experiences have made the group ‘stronger’ and ‘more resilient’.

His side are hard-working, look to press high and dominate possession. Their solid defence provides the bedrock - they kept clean sheets in eight of their 13 games en route to the finals - but their offensive numbers were good in their three play-off games, outshooting Jamaica 19-6 in the last match.

They have a host of familiar faces in their ranks. Sunderland left-back Arthur Masuaku and central midfielder Noah Sadiki, Burnley centre-back Axel Tuanzebe, West Ham right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Newcastle’s Yoane Wissa form the Premier League contingency.

The latter provides the razzle-dazzle but after an injury-blighted campaign - which kept him out of AFCON - I’d look towards CEDRIC BAKAMBU for the goals.

At 5/1, Bakakbu is the same price as Wissa to finish as DR CONGO’s TOP GOALSCORER. He scored four times in qualification, one more than Wissa.

Having stumbled in qualification a few times over the years, UZBEKISTAN have made it to the World Cup for the first time in their history.

Based on the bookies prices though, their chances of making out of the group looks slim.

They are odds on to finish bottom in Group K, the fourth favourites to qualify and at 2,000/1, one of the tournament's biggest priced nations to go all the way.

The team looked relatively comfortable in qualification despite the fact their manager Srecko Katanec was forced to retire due to health reasons.

He made Uzbekistan harder to beat in his three year spell as boss, laying the foundations for his replacement Timur Kapadze.

Capped over 100 times as a player, Kapadze breezed through a potentially sticky spell, qualifying with a game to spare.

And yet, it quickly became apparent that the Uzbek federation wanted a foreign coach to lead them out in the summer.

So, whilst they made reaching the tournament look relatively easy, the powers that be in Uzbekistan look to have made competing needlessly complicated this summer.

Joachim Low and Paulo Bento were linked before former Italian captain and World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro was appointed as head coach.

He is yet to lose in four games against Egypt, Iran, Gabon and Venezuela but Cannavaro is quick to admit, the World Cup will be a sterner test.

Uzbekistan do have an advantage in the sense their domestic season didn't start until the end of February and with the majority of their players plying their trade there, they should head into the summer in peak fitness.

With all-time leading goalscorer Eldor Shomurodov’s experience in attack and Manchester City’s Abdukodir Khusanov going from strength to strength in the Premier League, Uzbekistan might not be the none-hopers the bookies would lead you to believe they are…

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