Group K at the 2026 World Cup features Portugal, Congo DR, Uzbekistan and Colombia as one of the tournament’s 12 four-team groups, according to ESPN.
Portugal, nicknamed Seleção das Quinas, enters the tournament ranked fifth by FIFA and making its ninth World Cup appearance (1966, 1986, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026). The side has seven consecutive active appearances since 2002 and its best finish is third place in 1966. Portugal’s all-time World Cup record is 17 wins, six draws and 12 losses; Eusébio is the nation’s leading scorer with nine goals, all scored in 1966. The team’s oldest World Cup scorer is Pepe (39 years, 283 days in 2022 vs. Switzerland) and its youngest is Cristiano Ronaldo (21 years, 132 days in 2006 vs. Iran). In 2022 Ronaldo became the first man to score at five World Cups, and the source notes he and Lionel Messi look to be positioned to appear at a sixth tournament in 2026, according to ESPN.
Uzbekistan, known as the White Wolves and ranked 50th by FIFA, will make its World Cup debut in 2026. The team’s current coach is former Italy defender Fabio Cannavaro, a member of Italy’s 2006 World Cup–winning side, according to ESPN.
Colombia, nicknamed Los Cafeteros or La Tricolor, is ranked 13th and making its seventh World Cup appearance (1962, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2014, 2018, 2026). Their best finish came in 2014 with a quarterfinal appearance. Colombia’s all-time World Cup record stands at nine wins, three draws and 10 losses; James Rodríguez is the team’s leading scorer with six goals and won the 2014 Golden Boot. Those six goals make him Colombia’s top scorer in World Cup history, twice as many as the next player, according to ESPN.
Congo DR, nicknamed Les Léopards and ranked 46th, returns to the World Cup after its only previous appearance in 1974 when the nation competed as Zaire. The 1974 side finished in the group stage with a record of 0-0-3, failed to score, posted a goal differential of minus-14 (the second-worst by a team in a single World Cup) and suffered a 9-0 defeat to Yugoslavia, a result that tied the record for largest margin in a men’s World Cup match, according to ESPN.
