When Matheus Nunes was reminded of working in his godfather's pastry shop during the press conference for Portugal's World Cup 2026 opener, the Manchester City player admitted he had “never imagined†playing with Selecao captain and five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo.
Once an unsuccessful trialist for Leicester City, Nunes is preparing to meet DR Congo in Houston in the company of 41-year-old Portugal captain Ronaldo, who is the all-time top international scorer and targeting the title at what is almost certainly his last World Cup.
“We are proud to be here with Cristiano,†said Nunes. “Ten years ago, I was playing in the sixth division, so I never imagined it.
“For us, it's a huge honour to be here with him. Everyone knows what a great figure he is. If we can win the title for him, it would be something very big.â€
A pre-tournament trip to the beach, Nunes said, was part of adapting to the climate rather than a sign of slackness from a squad being tipped by many to challenge.
“I, as an example, spend the year playing in Manchester,†explained the 27-year-old. “It's not as hot there. It's a huge difference.
“Going to the beach in the morning to adapt to the heat, sun and humidity was part of the plan. We're not spending more time at the beach than at training.â€
Former Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe scored the extra-time goal in Zapopan to send DR Congo to the finals with a play-off win against Jamaica.
“What a day it was,†said Burnley's Tuanzebe, whose previous clubs also include Aston Villa and Napoli, speaking to FIFA.
“For me, scoring the goal, I didn't really think too much of self accolades. It was more what it meant to the team, country and people.
“We can really be a dark horse. A lot of the opposition are not really aware of what we can bring in terms of our energy levels, patterns of play and a real togetherness that we have.â€
The two-time African champions are making their second appearance at the World Cup, having lost three games in 1974, when they were known as Zaire.
“Our path to qualification was quite difficult,†said head coach Sebastien DesabreIt, discussing a run that also included seven wins, a draw and two defeats to finish two points behind automatic qualifiers Senegal during the initial stage. “It was a do-or-die situation [against Jamaica].â€
This is the first match in Group K, which continues when Uzbekistan meet Colombia in Mexico City on Thursday (03:00 BST).
Portugal then face Uzbekistan in Houston on Tuesday (18:00), followed by DR Congo against Colombia in Zapopan on Wednesday (03:00).
World Cup 2026: Portugal v DR Congo team news
Manchester City centre-back Ruben Dias missed much of the second half of the season with a hamstring injury but returned for Portugal's friendly wins over Chile and Nigeria this month and has trained fully.
Ronaldo sat out his nation's first two matches of the year with a hamstring injury and started both warm-up games as captain, featuring for 45 minutes against La Roja followed by a 65-minute outing against the Super Eagles.
Benfica defender Tomas Araujo could make his second competitive international appearance, having previously featured against Croatia in the Nations League in November 2024.
Samu Costa is Portugal's other outfield player with a single-figure caps total. The Mallorca midfielder's two competitive outings were brief cameos against Poland during that Nations League campaign.
Rocky Bushiri withdrew from DR Congo's squad with an Achilles injury sustained while playing for Hibernian on the final matchday of the Scottish season.
Kilmarnock midfielder and former England youth international Aaron ‌Tshibola has replaced the centre-back.
Yoane Wissa could make his first appearance at a major tournament since September 2024, having struggled with a knee injury and scored one Premier League goal last season after joining Newcastle from Brentford for £55 million.
Wissa did not return to full fitness in time to feature at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in January, at which DR Congo's extra-time exit to Algeria in the last 16 marked Gael Kakuta's most recent competitive match for his country.
The hugely experienced former Chelsea and France Under-21 winger returned as a second-half substitute in the 2-1 defeat to Chile in a friendly on June 9.
