We break down every team, in every group in our World Cup 2026 betting guide. Group K features Portugal, Colombia, DR Congo and Uzbekistan.
Football betting tips: World Cup
0.5pt Colombia to be the highest-scoring team at the World Cup at 50/1 (General)
0.5pt DR Congo to be the top African team at 25/1 (Betfred)
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: Colombia 03:00 DR Congo
June 28: Colombia 00:30 Portugal
DR Congo 00:30 Uzbekistan
Portugal
PORTUGAL are the sixth favourites to win the World Cup behind Spain, France, England, Argentina and Brazil.
They have a squad to rival every one 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.
Much depends on the level of Cristiano Ronaldo’s involvement. The 41-year-old is heading to his sixth World Cup. He holds the all-time international appearance record (226) and goals record (143) but nowadays does he make Portugal better?
He certainly has an impact on the team's style. With him in the side they are more direct, put more crosses into the box and become more predictable.
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You can’t draw too many conclusions from games with Armenia, Hungary and Ireland in qualification but the last two major tournaments offer insight. Portugal topped their Euro 2024 group before getting knocked out by France on penalties in the quarter-final. At the last World Cup, they also topped their group before losing in the quarters to Morocco. They failed to score in either match.
Ronaldo didn’t score at the Euros, only managed one four years ago and staggeringly has never scored in the World Cup knockout stage (7 appearances).
Roberto Martinez suggested in a rather cryptic interview that he would do what is best for the team with regards to starting Ronaldo; he started five games in qualification before getting sent off for a petulant retaliation against Ireland, ranking sixth for most minutes played within the squad.
If Portugal are going to make history maybe it’s time to transition their greatest ever player towards a bit-part role. We’ll have to wait and see if Martinez has the bottle to do it...
Colombia
COLOMBIA had to sit out Qatar 2022, and the fallout saw ex-Swindon defender Nestor Lorenzo appointed as their manager.
He masterminded a 28-game unbeaten run - 26 of which included a run to the 2024 Copa America final 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.
Colombia went on to 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 across qualification (2nd), 12 at Copa America 2024 (1st) and conceded an average of a goal a game, but it is the offensive numbers that are worth flagging 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.
At 50/1 generally, I think COLOMBIA are worth a nibble to be the HIGHEST SCORING TEAM at the World Cup.
Colombia also looked sharp from set pieces in qualification. With James' 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 - Colombia centre-back prices to score anytime could be worth a look in the group stage.
DR Congo
The road to Canada, Mexico and the USA has been long and complicated for DR CONGO.
It’ll be the Leopards’ first appearance at a World Cup in 52 years and boy did they have to work for it.
After finishing second in their qualifying group, 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 semis then beat Nigeria on penalties in the final. That earned 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 inter-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 among 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 contingent.
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.
At 25/1, DR CONGO are worth a punt to finish as the TOP AFRICAN TEAM. It is a market where the favourites are worth opposing for various reasons.
The increased World Cup, with the additional round of 32, means it has never been so easy to qualify from the group stage. I've also had a stab at another big-priced African team in this market in my Group H preview.
It's worth noting dead-heat rules apply in this market. Should multiple teams make it to the same stage, it will be settled as the original stake, divided by the number of tied nations multiplied by original odds.
Uzbekistan
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 it out of the group are slim.
They are odds-on to finish bottom in Group K, the fourth favourites to qualify and at 2000/1, 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, while 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 no-hopers the bookies would lead you to believe they are.
Odds correct at 14:00 BST (02/06/26)
Group previews
- Group A: Mexico; South Africa; South Korea; Czechia
- Group B: Canada; Bosnia; Qatar; Switzerland
- Group C: Brazil; Morocco; Haiti; Scotland
- Group D: USA; Paraguay; Australia; Turkiye
- Group E: Germany; Curacao; Ivory Coast; Ecuador
- Group F: Netherlands; Japan; Sweden; Tunisia
- Group G: Belgium; Egypt; Iran; New Zealand
- Group H: Spain; Cape Verde; Saudi Arabia; Uruguay
- Group I: France; Senegal; Iraq; Norway
- Group J: Argentina; Algeria; Austria; Jordan
- Group L: England; Croatia; Ghana; Panama
Outright previews
More World Cup content from Sporting Life
- FREE World Cup wallchart
- FREE World Cup sweepstake kit
- Fixtures, results and live scores
- World Cup 2026: All you need to know
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