Portugal is loaded. Maybe the most talented squad in the entire tournament. Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Vitinha, Rafael Leao. Midfielders who could start for any country on earth. A defense that doesn’t get enough credit. On paper, this should be a team that rolls through Group K and makes a deep run.
But there’s an elephant in every locker room. And his name is Cristiano Ronaldo.
The guy is still scoring goals in Saudi Arabia, sure. But at 41, the question isn’t whether he can still finish. It’s whether Roberto Martinez can manage him without the whole thing blowing up. If Ronaldo starts every game and plays 90 minutes, Portugal might not make it past the round of 16. If Martinez uses him as a super-sub or limits his minutes — without sparking a meltdown — this team could beat anyone. That’s the tightrope.
Goncalo Ramos is the obvious alternative up top. He barely played for PSG this season but he’s a better fit for how Portugal wants to play. Younger. Faster. Less ego. It feels like a decision that’ll define their whole tournament.
Colombia’s veteran core and Luis Diaz’s moment
Colombia is back at the World Cup for the first time since 2018, and they’re not just happy to be here. They beat Argentina and Brazil in qualifying. That’s not luck.
James Rodriguez is still pulling strings at 34, playing in MLS now with Minnesota United. He’s not the player he was in 2014, but he’s still the guy who makes everything tick. The real star though is Luis Diaz. Since moving to Bayern Munich from Liverpool, he’s taken another leap. He scored seven goals in qualifying playing a hybrid striker-winger role. If he ends this tournament as South America’s best player, nobody will be surprised.
The worry is the defense. Colombia got torn apart by a second-string France team in a March friendly. Three goals down before they pulled one back late. Davinson Sanchez and Yerry Mina are both past their best. If that backline isn’t tighter, all that talent up front won’t matter.
DR Congo is not your typical African underdog
This isn’t 1974 Zaire, getting blown out 9-0 by Yugoslavia. DR Congo is legit. They earned their spot by beating Jamaica in a playoff, and they’ve got players who can hurt you.
Yoane Wissa is the guy to watch. He had a frustrating season at Newcastle with a knee injury, but when he’s healthy he’s a nightmare for defenders. Noah Sadiki ran the midfield at Sunderland and looks ready for a bigger stage. Axel Tuanzebe scored the playoff winner. Aaron Wan-Bissaka is in the squad too.
They’re organized, hard to break down, and have enough attacking spark to steal second place in this group. Don’t sleep on them.
Uzbekistan and the Fabio Cannavaro experiment
Uzbekistan is at their first World Cup, and they’ve got a World Cup winning captain as their coach. Fabio Cannavaro is trying to build something with limited tools.
Their best player is Abdukodir Khusanov, the Manchester City defender who settled in after a rough start in England. Fourteen of the 26-man squad play in Uzbekistan’s domestic league, which didn’t even start until late February. That means less fatigue but also less exposure to top-level competition. Cannavaro has been honest about the challenge: “We have nothing to lose. I told them to enjoy it.”
The guy to watch is Abbosbek Fayzullaev, a young winger at Istanbul Basaksehir. He’s the main creative spark in a squad that doesn’t have many. His connection with Eldor Shomurodov, the captain and all-time leading scorer, could be the key to pulling off a shock result.
How this group shakes out
Portugal should win the group. If they don’t, something went very wrong. The real battle is for second place. Colombia has the pedigree and the star power. But DR Congo is physical and confident, and Uzbekistan could frustrate everyone if they keep it tight.
The runner-up in this group draws the second-place team from England’s group. That could be a winnable path or a brutal one depending on how Group D shakes out. Either way, don’t be surprised if Colombia or DR Congo makes some noise.
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