Portugal followed Brazil and Spain in failing to start their 2026 World Cup campaign with a win after being held to a 1-1 draw by the Democratic Republic of Congo in their Group K opener at Houston Stadium, United States.
Cristiano Ronaldo started the match to become only the second player to appear in six World Cups after Lionel Messi, but he failed to shine like Messi, who scored a hat-trick the day before.
Portugal took the lead through Joao Neves before Congo equalized through Yoane Wissa.
This result means Portugal must win against debutants Uzbekistan in their next match, while Congo earned a valuable point against one of the Group K favorites.
Portugal took the initiative to attack from the start of the match and opened the scoring after just six minutes.
Joao Neves successfully broke through Congo's goal with a header after utilizing a perfect pass from Pedro Neto.
However, Selecao das Quinas' lead failed to be maintained until halftime.
