DR Congo 2026 Schedule & Game Calendar

How DR Congo were drawn into Group K

The 2026 World Cup is the biggest in the tournament’s history, 48 teams and 104 matches spread across the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. DR Congo go into it in Group K, drawn next to Portugal, Colombia, and Uzbekistan. Three group games, three host cities, and an 11-day window that decides whether DR Congo see the knockout rounds.

The campaign opened in Texas. DR Congo took on Portugal at the Houston Stadium on June 17 and came away with a 1-1 draw, a point earned against one of the group’s marquee names. From there the schedule sends them south and then east: Colombia at the Guadalajara Stadium on June 23, then Uzbekistan at the Atlanta Stadium on June 27. The three kickoffs are scattered, 1:00 PM ET, then 10:00 PM ET, then 7:30 PM ET, across two host countries.

What that draw with Portugal does is keep DR Congo’s group alive from the first whistle. In a four-team section where two go through automatically and the best third-placed sides also advance, a point off a heavyweight is a foothold rather than a luxury. DR Congo now need to make the Colombia and Uzbekistan fixtures count, because group position dictates the entire shape of any knockout route to come.

DR Congo’s three group games, walked through

The opener is already settled. DR Congo drew 1-1 with Portugal on Wednesday, June 17 at the Houston Stadium, a 1:00 PM ET kickoff that handed them a share of the spoils against one of the favorites to top Group K. Sharing points with a side of that standing is a fair return on the road, and it leaves DR Congo level rather than chasing as the group moves on.

Game two is the South American test. DR Congo meet Colombia at the Guadalajara Stadium on Tuesday, June 23, a 10:00 PM ET start, with DR Congo as the away team on the official sheet. A CONMEBOL side on a Mexican stage is a stern ask, but a result here would lift DR Congo into strong shape for the knockout places. Lose it and the final matchday becomes a must-win, because Group K is the sort of group where a single round can reshuffle the entire table.

The group finishes in Atlanta. DR Congo face Uzbekistan at the Atlanta Stadium on Saturday, June 27, a 7:30 PM ET kickoff, and this is the only fixture where they hold home status. By the time it starts, the picture in Group K may already be clear, or it may come down to this match and goal difference. Either way, the Atlanta date is the one to circle, because it is where DR Congo either confirm a knockout spot or fall short of one.

What a knockout run would mean for DR Congo

Top two in Group K, or one of the eight best thirds, and DR Congo step into the part of the tournament that decides everything. The 48-team format adds a round compared with every previous World Cup. Before the Round of 16, there is now a Round of 32, and from there the bracket pushes through the quarterfinals, the semifinals, and the final on July 19.

DR Congo will not learn their first knockout opponent until the group stage is complete. The pairings only fall into place once all 12 groups have played their third round, so the bracket fills from the top in the final days of the group phase. That uncertainty is part of what makes a 48-team field so open: third place might still be enough, and a strong finish against Uzbekistan could leave DR Congo scanning other groups to see exactly where they land. The full picture, every group and the bracket as it takes shape, sits on the 2026 World Cup overview.

For a nation in DR Congo’s position, the knockout rounds are the whole reward. The group is the gateway. Come through it and the single-elimination format puts every team, seeded or not, two strong results from the last eight. That is the prize behind the Houston draw and the matches in Guadalajara and Atlanta, and it is why each group result carries so much freight.

What the point against Portugal does for DR Congo’s group math

A 1-1 draw on matchday one already changes the arithmetic for DR Congo. One point banked, two more games to play, and a group where two sides go through automatically and the best third-placed teams also advance. That single result lifts DR Congo off zero and keeps every outcome in play heading into Guadalajara and Atlanta. In a four-team group, the gap between a point and nothing on the opening day is often the gap between qualifying and going home.

The order of the remaining fixtures shapes how DR Congo can use that point. The Colombia game on June 23 is the harder of the two on paper, a CONMEBOL side on home billing, so anything DR Congo take from it is a bonus that eases the final-day picture. The Uzbekistan match on June 27 in Atlanta then looms as the fixture DR Congo will most want to control, the one where home status and a winnable matchup line up. A win there could be enough on its own, depending on how the rest of Group K falls. With the games stretched across Houston, Guadalajara, and Atlanta, DR Congo also have to manage the travel between two host countries while keeping the focus on what each result is worth, and the late June 27 kickoff gives them the benefit of seeing how the group sits before they play their final card.

Goal difference is worth keeping in view as well. If DR Congo end up level on points with another side, the margin across their three games becomes the separator, and the eight best third-placed teams across all 12 groups are also sorted on those fine details. That is why the scoreline in each match matters and not just the result. The draw with Portugal kept DR Congo’s group open, and the two games that follow will decide what that point was worth.

Getting the DR Congo calendar onto your phone

You do not have to memorize the dates. The download button on the schedule above pulls DR Congo’s full campaign as an ICS file, a CSV spreadsheet, or a printable PDF, and you can grab the whole group run or pull out a single match.

ICS is the format that does the most for you. Drop it into Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, or Outlook and DR Congo’s three group games arrive with their kickoffs converted to your local zone, the venue attached, and the host city named. Because the file is built from live tournament data, it tends itself: if a kickoff time moves, or once DR Congo’s knockout opponents are confirmed, the entries refresh on their own without any work from you.

Following more than one side this summer? The same downloads exist for every nation at the 2026 World Cup, so you can line DR Congo’s fixtures up beside another team and read the whole tournament off one calendar. Pin down June 17, June 23, and June 27 first, then let the knockout dates drop in as Group K and the rest of the bracket resolve.