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2026 World Cup Soccer Group K Odds and Expert Betting Predictions

by Spencer Toth - 5/29/2026

World Cup soccer Group K predictions Bruno Fernandes Portugal

Group K is shaping up to be an intriguing quartet between four sides that have yet to win the World Cup. Portugal is entering as the overwhelming favorite to win the group, as Cristiano Ronaldo has one more chance to collect the one trophy he has yet to win. Colombia will also be pleased with how the draw turned out, as they are competing alongside Uzbekistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Group K. Will Portugal and DR Congo take care of business en route to a sweat-free group stage, or will the debuting nations pull off a historic World Cup upset? Let’s get into the team breakdowns and best bets to find out. 

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Odds to Win Group K:
Portugal: -220

Colombia: +240

DR Congo: +1500

Uzbekistan: +2700

Odds to Qualify:
Portugal: -4000

Colombia: -800

DR Congo: +105

Uzbekistan: +190

Portugal:
One last dance. Cristiano Ronaldo is now 41 years old, and this is almost certainly his last World Cup. He has already ushered in the next generation of Portuguese superstars and has a EURO Cup trophy to his name, but this is the one that means the most. After only qualifying for the World Cup twice before 2000, Portugal has ripped off six straight qualifications and has only been eliminated in the group stage once during Ronaldo’s tenure. They are heavy favorites to prevail in Group K and are dripping with talent around their talisman up front. Bruno Fernandes just broke the record for the most assists in a Premier League season en route to winning the Player of the Year award, and will be a key part of the Portuguese midfield. Paris Saint-Germain duo Vitinha and Joao Neves will join him in the middle of the park, giving Portugal one of the best midfields in the tournament. They will be able to shred apart their Group K opposition without too many issues, and it would be a real shock to see anything short of 9 points for Portugal. 

Colombia:
While Colombia will struggle to compete against Portugal, they are still miles better than DR Congo and Uzbekistan in terms of quality on both ends of the pitch. Luis Diaz and James Rodriguez highlight the squad, and Colombia has really improved on their depth compared to tournaments past. They have been lurking in the shadows with a pair of knockout stage defeats in 2014 and 2018, but failed to qualify in 2022. They are back in 2026 with a real shot of making a deep tournament run, and there aren’t too many holes in this squad. They have proven European talents up front to lead the attack, and strong defenders who shouldn't be troubled by the bottom two teams in this group. Will they have enough to upset Portugal? Potentially. But with the two sides meeting in the final group stage game, Colombia will be incredibly disappointed if they don’t already have six points and a knockout stage berth secured before that matchup. 

The Democratic Republic of the Congo:
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, or DR Congo, is making their second ever World Cup appearance, with its first coming back in 1974 when they were Zaire. They lost all three matches by a combined 14 goals without scoring themselves, but will be optimistic that they can find some positivity this time around. DR Congo edged Nigeria via penalties in qualification to set up an inter-continental matchup against Jamaica, where they claimed a 1-0

Their defense is solid with Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Chancel Mbemba anchoring their back line, which should allow DR Congo to avoid any embarrassing results. Their attack is lackluster, but if they can keep things close and spring on the counterattack, DR Congo just may be able to sneak into third place. The revamped format means this team could have life heading into the final matchday against Uzbekistan, as three points may be enough to punch a knockout round ticket. 

Uzbekistan:
Uzbekistan is making its World Cup debut, and they are just happy to be here. Abdukodir Khusanov has had an excellent season with Manchester City, but it is hard to envision the traditional central defender making too big an impact in this tournament. Khusanov doesn't have the attacking traits needed to carry a team like this, as Uzbekistan is without any other top-flight European talents. They earned direct qualification after coming second behind Iran in Group A of the third round, but it was far from a dominant showing against teams like North Korea and Kyrgyzstan. They only managed to score 14 goals in 10 matches, and finding the back of the net against polished World Cup squads will be a much tougher task. Maybe Uzbekistan will score a goal in their World Cup debut, and maybe they will even secure a point. However, that feels quite unlikely, as Colombia and Portugal will rack up the goals in their first two group stage games before DR Congo fights for their life in the group stage finale. There won’t be many tangible rewards for this squad in 2026, but it is hard to complain about the first-ever World Cup qualification. 

Best Bets:
First of all, Portugal is a lock to win this group. The -220 price tag may feel steep, but the reality is that Portugal is a World Cup favorite that is bursting with young talent, while the rest of this group haven’t been World Cup mainstays over the last two decades. Colombia is the biggest threat for first place, but assuming Portugal gets six points against DR Congo and Uzbekistan, they will likely only need a draw against Colombia in the group stage finale to secure top spot. If you would take -220 odds on a Portugal win or tie in that matchup, which you certainly should, it is easy to justify grabbing them to win the group at this price. 

For the second bet of the group, we will take a stab with DR Congo to qualify at +105 odds. The defensive line for DR Congo could allow them to steal a point off Colombia, but even if they don’t, three points against Uzbekistan with a respectable goal difference could be enough. There is a very clear path for DR Congo to reach the knockout stages, and unless they get blown out by Portugal, this +105 price tag is quite appealing. Additionally, since they are in Group K instead of Group A or B, DR Congo will have the privilege of knowing how much they may have to beat Uzbekistan in the group stage finale to be one of the top-8 third-place teams. All in all, I have them as slight favorites to advance, making the +105 odds a great line. 

Top Pick: Portugal to Win Group K -220

Pick: DR Congo to Qualify +105
Predicted Group K Table:
Portugal 9 Points

Colombia 4 Points

DR Congo 4 Points

Uzbekistan 0 Points 

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