Group K · Matchday 1

PortugalvsDR Congo

2026-06-17·12:00 localPredictions finalised

Snapshot · 2026-07-14Model 1.0.0Portugal·DR Congo·Head-to-head →·
Full time · forecast gradedPortugal 1 1 DR CongoThe locked pre-match forecast has been graded against this result.See the calibration recap →

The forecast

Match-outcome probability

  • Portugal win
    74.0%
  • Draw
    21.9%
  • DR Congo win
    4.1%

A clash of identities: Portugal's possession-dominant approach meets DR Congo's counter-attacker style in a fixture the model gives to Portugal at 74%.

Likeliest score1–018.0%
First goal0-15'31.6%
Both teams score32.0%
Over 2.5 goals39.8%
Top scorerWissa10.6%
Expected goals1.8 - 0.5
Loading pitch visualisation...

Why the model says this

Favoring Portugal

  • ·Elo advantage of 329 points over DR Congo
  • ·Expected goals 2.23 vs 0.60

What the model can't fully price

  • ·Squad availability: 4 carrying a fitness doubt across the two squads, 1 of them projected starters. The forecast does not adjust for who is missing: its lineup channel currently contributes zero, so this is context the probabilities do not include.

Form check

Portugal

Steady

Portugal: 3W-2D-1L in their last 6 internationals.

3W-2D-1L in last 6

DR Congo

Improving

DR Congo: 4W-1D-1L in their last 6 internationals.

4W-1D-1L in last 6

Analysis

How it plays out

Portugal want the ball; DR Congo want to deny space. If DR Congo's counter attacker holds through 60 minutes, Portugal's patience in the final third gets tested. Portugal will expect to hold 59% possession. DR Congo need their shape to stay compact without the ball and be clinical when they win it back.

What decides it

Portugal's possession game (59% avg) requires patience in the final third and quick ball recovery when they lose it. DR Congo will concede possession willingly and attack in transition. Their defensive block needs to hold without fouling in dangerous areas. The scoring threat is evenly split: Cristiano Ronaldo (9.5%) and Yoane Wissa (10.6%).

Off the pitch

No major off-pitch asymmetries. This one is decided by the football.

The angle

The model gives DR Congo just 10.0% to win. Every World Cup produces group-stage upsets; the question is whether this fixture is one of them.

Goals & scorelines

Likeliest score 1–0 (18.0%) · xG 1.8 - 0.5

Expected goals

Portugal
1.81
DR Congo
0.47

Mean of the Dixon-Coles joint goal distribution. Same fit that produces the most-likely-scoreline list below.

Most likely scorelines

  • 1–0
    18.0%
  • 2–0
    16.7%
  • 0–0
    10.8%
  • 3–0
    10.1%
  • 1–1
    9.3%

From the Dixon-Coles joint Poisson with the low-score correction. Scorelines are listed in probability order; this is a description of the model's distribution, not a recommendation.

Most likely half-time scorelines

  • 0–0
    32.4%
  • 1–0
    28.5%
  • 2–0
    13.1%
  • 1–1
    7.2%
  • 0–1
    7.1%

Same Dixon-Coles fit as the full-time list above, with rates halved to a 45-minute window and the low-score correction applied to that 1st-half block. The 0-0 row sits higher here than at full-time because fewer minutes have elapsed.

Goal totals

  • More than 0.5 goals
    89.2%
  • More than 1.5 goals
    66.9%
  • More than 2.5 goals
    39.8%
  • More than 3.5 goals
    19.6%
  • More than 4.5 goals
    8.1%
  • More than 5.5 goals
    2.9%
  • Both teams score
    32.0%

Each row is the probability the match finishes with more than the listed number of goals. Both-teams-to-score is the probability each side scores at least once. All values are marginals of the Dixon-Coles joint goal grid that produces the scoreline list above — not market lines or any other operator construct.

Event-typed probabilities

  • Portugal clean sheetOpposing team scores zero62.4%
  • DR Congo clean sheetOpposing team scores zero16.4%

Derived from the same Dixon-Coles joint distribution as the scoreline list. These are descriptive event probabilities — see CLAUDE.md §3/§4 (formerly COMPLIANCE.md §4.2.7) for the framing the project uses.

Win-margin probability

  • Portugal by 4+
    8.0%
  • Portugal by 3+
    20.4%
  • Portugal by 2+
    42.4%
  • Portugal by 1+
    69.5%
  • Draw
    22.1%
  • DR Congo by 1+
    8.4%
  • DR Congo by 2+
    1.8%
  • DR Congo by 3+
    0.3%
  • DR Congo by 4+
    <0.1%

Each row is the probability the match ends with the listed margin or larger in that direction. Marginal of the Dixon-Coles joint goal grid; the “by 1+” rows plus the draw row sum to 1.

How the match unfolds

Over 2.5 goals 39.8% · BTTS 32.0%

Game state through the match

0%25%50%75%100%0'15'30'45'60'75'90'
  • Portugal ahead70.0%
  • Level21.0%
  • DR Congo ahead9.0%

Probability of each game state at minutes 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90 — derived from two independent thinned-Poisson processes with the Dixon-Coles per-team rates. The three lines always sum to 1 at each minute. The right column shows the state at the match's closing minute.

When the first goal arrives

  • 0–15
    31.6%
  • 15–30
    21.6%
  • 30–45
    14.8%
  • 45–60
    10.1%
  • 60–75
    6.9%
  • 75–90
    4.7%
  • No goal
    10.3%

Probability the match's first goal arrives in each 15-minute window. Homogeneous Poisson with combined rate λ = λh + λa from the Dixon-Coles fit; the seven rows (six windows + no-goal tail) sum to 1.

Half-time / full-time grid

Joint probability of half-time and full-time results
HT ↓ / FT →HPortugal winDDrawADR Congo win
HPortugal ahead47.8%2.8%0.3%
DLevel20.6%15.7%3.8%
ADR Congo ahead1.6%2.7%4.7%

Each cell is P(half-time result, full-time result). All nine cells sum to 1. Derived from a halved-λ Dixon-Coles fit for the first half plus an independent-Poisson second-half convolution.

Comeback probability

  • Portugal trail at HT, avoid defeat at FT
    4.3%
  • DR Congo trail at HT, avoid defeat at FT
    3.1%

Joint probability — P(side trailing at half-time AND avoiding defeat at full-time). NOT conditional on trailing at HT. Derived from the same half-time / full-time decomposition that produces the HT/FT grid above; a tied first half is neither a home nor an away comeback opportunity.

Cards

  • Expected yellow cardsMean of the Poisson on total yellow cards.3.45
  • Total yellows over 2.567.0%
  • Total yellows over 3.545.3%
  • Total yellows over 4.526.5%
  • Any red cardP(at least one red card in the match).9.5%

Referee not yet assigned. Using the 2026 pool-mean per-match rate as a placeholder; the model picks up the referee's personal rate once the assignment is published. Total yellow cards modelled as a Poisson with mean equal to two team baselines plus the referee's deviation from the pool mean. Reds are modelled the same way, independently. See /docs/methodology/.

Teams & players

Top scorer: Wissa (10.6%)

Match detail

Portugal

Model-rated key players: Cristiano Ronaldo (FW) — P(scores) 9.5%; Gonçalo Ramos (FW) — P(scores) 2.8%; João Félix (FW) — P(scores) 2.6%.

How they play

Portugal under Roberto Martínez play a possession dominant game, holding 59% of the ball — among the highest in the tournament field. Their likely shape is a 4-3-3. They apply moderate pressing intensity (PPDA 21.6) and build patiently through midfield with 7.9 passes per attacking sequence. They generate a high volume of shots (13.5 per 90).

What they must execute

To succeed, Portugal must control tempo and territory in midfield — their possession-dominant approach depends on dictating the rhythm of each match. Managing minutes for Cristiano Ronaldo across what could be seven matches will test the coaching staff's rotation planning.

Storylines
Last dance: Cristiano Ronaldo41 at kickoff with 226 caps — probably his final World Cup.
Top scorer: Gonçalo RamosModel's top anytime-scorer for the team — 30% probability of scoring at least once, rank #6 of all players.
Scoring form: Averaged 2.63 xG per match across 15 recent internationals — #3 of 35 in the field for attacking output.

DR Congo

Model-rated key players: Yoane Wissa (FW) — P(scores) 10.6%; Cédric Bakambu (FW) — P(scores) 5.3%; Jackson Muleka (FW) — P(scores) 3.2%.

How they play

DR Congo under Sébastien Desabre play a counter attacker game with 46% possession. They apply moderate pressing intensity (PPDA 20.9) and move the ball forward quickly at 4.9 passes per attack. They favour high-quality chances (xG/shot 0.200, among the best in the field) and rely heavily on set pieces (20% of their xG).

What they must execute

DR Congo rely on defensive discipline and quick transitions — absorbing pressure and converting turnovers into attacking chances. Concentration and defensive organisation for full 90-minute stretches will determine whether the approach holds against top opposition.

Storylines
Form trend: Gained 87 international Elo points over the last 12 months — current rating 1767.
Long-haul: Travels 38,411 km across 3 venues in the group stage — one of the longest itineraries in the field.
Touchline: Sébastien DesabreFirst World Cup as head coach, appointed 2022.
Workload going in

Portugal's predicted XI averages 2,098 club minutes over the 2024-25 season (moderate load).

Portugal coverage: 78.0% (9/11 XI matched against the FBref Big-5) · DR Congo: 58.0% (8/11).

Set-piece outlook

Portugal historically converts 17.0% of xG from set-pieces, contributing 0.31 expected set-piece goals in this fixture. DR Congo converts 20.5% from set-pieces (0.10 expected). Combined, the model expects 0.40 set-piece goals across the 90 minutes.

  • P(Portugal scores set-piece goal) 26.4%
  • P(DR Congo scores set-piece goal) 9.2%
  • P(set-piece goal in match) 33.2%

Portugal: Pedro Neto on corners (20 corners), Rúben Neves on free kicks (per fbref 2022 23)

Penalty outlook

If a penalty is awarded to Portugal, the model gives 73.3% conversion, 73.3% for DR Congo.

Portugal primary PK: Cristiano Ronaldo (3/3 in 2021-22, per fbref 2022 23) · DR Congo primary PK: Yoane Wissa (4/5 in 2020-21, per fbref 2020 21).

Derived from the model's per-fixture forecast joint and supporting reference data (predicted squads, set-piece xG share, PK posteriors, club minutes). See /docs/methodology/ for the full methodology.

Tactical forecast

Portugalpossession-dominant
PPDA
21.6
Possession
59%
Directness (yds/pass)
4.5
Long balls/90
30
Set-piece xG
17%
DR Congocounter-attacker
PPDA
20.9
Possession
46%
Directness (yds/pass)
7.6
Long balls/90
36
Set-piece xG
20%

Style profile per side from StatsBomb open-data aggregation across recent international tournaments (Euro 2020/2024, Copa America 2024, AFCON 2023, World Cup 2018/2022). The tactical-fingerprint badge maps each team’s observed style vector into one of eight canonical archetypes via a rule-based classifier; teams with fewer than three matches of qualifying coverage carry an “insufficient-data” label rather than being forced into a default. Sides outside the StatsBomb-open corpus use FotMob team match stats from recent qualifiers and friendlies instead (possession and shot volume only), marked as partial coverage. PPDA = passes the side allows per defensive action (lower = more intense press). Formation distributions are not yet produced — that head of the §2.7 classifier is pending its own data pull. See /docs/methodology/.

Squad depth

Most irreplaceable starters

Portugal

  1. Bruno FernandesAttacking midfieldCover: Francisco Trincão · 0.400.56gap
  2. Diogo CostaGoalkeeperCover: Rui Silva · 0.500.50gap
  3. Bernardo SilvaAttacking midfieldCover: Francisco Trincão · 0.400.24gap

DR Congo

  1. Meschak EliaAttacking midfieldNo natural backup0.20gap
  2. Gaël KakutaAttacking midfieldNo natural backup0.16gap
  3. Yoane WissaStrikerCover: Simon Banza · 0.750.14gap

Gap = how far a side's rating at the position falls from the starter to his likely in-squad replacement (named under each name). Larger = harder to replace. Descriptive metric, does not feed the published probabilities. Methodology →

Match conditions

  • AltitudeNear sea level13 m
  • Avg temperatureFive-year mean over the tournament window28.4 °C
  • Avg humidity78%
  • Heat stressShade WBGT ~31.8 °CHigh heat stress
  • Pitch surfacetemporary natural grass over artificial turf

Indoor artificial-turf stadium laying a temporary natural-grass pitch for the tournament.

Heat stress is a shade Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature proxy from the venue's climatology mean temperature and humidity; FIFA mandates cooling breaks at WBGT 32 °C. Afternoon kickoff (local time). These are long-window averages, not a match-day forecast, and they are not inputs to the forecast.

Top scorers · P(scores in this match)

DR Congo

Per-player scoring rate from Model #5 (`p_score_per_match`). Reflects each player's npxG/90, expected minutes, team xG share, and the average opposing-team defence. See /docs/methodology/.

Recent match form

Last match player ratings

Portugal

vs Croatia · avg 9.0

9
RonaldoST
ATK
DEF
PAS

Worked well: Their ability to create chances and their resilience in coming back from a deficit were notable strengths.

Struggled: They struggled with the offside trap at times, leading to a disallowed goal.

DR Congo

vs England · avg 7.7

9
Congo DR GK #1GK
ATK
DEF
PAS
8
SapangaST
ATK
DEF
PAS
6
Chancel MbembaCB
ATK
DEF
PAS

Player scores from official highlight analysis of each team's most recent match. Observational, not a model input. Methodology →

Video analysis: player performance

Per-player ratings and event breakdowns from official highlights analysis. Tap a player to see their full match timeline.

Portugal
8
João Neves5'–5'

Scored the opening goal for Portugal with a well-placed header, providing an early lead.

1goals1headers

Match timeline

5'João Neves scores for Portugal with a header from a cross.
5'João Neves scores for Portugal with a header from a cross.
7
Nuno Mendes17'–17'

Made a dangerous attacking run and had a shot on target, showing good offensive contribution from defense.

1shots1on target

Match timeline

17'Nuno Mendes makes a good run into the box, but his shot is blocked by the goalkeeper.
7
Conceição67'–67'

Provided a good pass that created a clear scoring opportunity for Ronaldo.

Match timeline

67'Ronaldo misses a close-range shot after a good pass from Conceição.
6
Bernardo Silva31'–31'

Was fouled, leading to a yellow card for an opponent, but had no other significant contributions.

1fouls won

Match timeline

31'Yellow card shown to a Congo DR player (Moutoussamy #8) for a foul on Bernardo Silva.
5
Cristiano Ronaldo12'–67'

Missed a clear close-range opportunity, failing to convert a significant chance for Portugal.

1shots1fouls won

Match timeline

12'Yellow card shown to a Congo DR player (Mbemba #22) after a foul on Ronaldo.
67'Ronaldo misses a close-range shot after a good pass from Conceição.
5
Nélson Semedo87'–87'

Received a yellow card late in the game for a foul, impacting his defensive rating.

1fouls1 yellow

Match timeline

87'Yellow card shown to Portugal's Nélson Semedo (#2) for a foul.
87'Yellow card shown to Portugal's Nélson Semedo (#2) for a foul.
DR Congo
8
Wissa45'–45'

Scored the crucial equalizer for Congo DR just before half-time and showed attacking threat with another shot.

1goals1shots1headers

Match timeline

45'Wissa scores for Congo DR with a header from a corner kick, equalizing the score.
45'Wissa scores for Congo DR with a header from a corner kick, equalizing the score.
7
Bakambu55'–55'

Created a significant chance by hitting the post, demonstrating his attacking threat.

1shots

Match timeline

55'Congo DR's Bakambu hits the post after a good build-up inside the box.
5
Mbemba12'–12'

Received a yellow card for a foul, impacting his defensive rating.

1fouls1 yellow

Match timeline

12'Yellow card shown to a Congo DR player (Mbemba #22) after a foul on Ronaldo.
12'Yellow card shown to a Congo DR player (Mbemba #22) after a foul on Ronaldo.
5
Moutoussamy31'–31'

Received a yellow card for a foul, impacting his defensive rating.

1fouls1 yellow

Match timeline

31'Yellow card shown to a Congo DR player (Moutoussamy #8) for a foul on Bernardo Silva.
31'Yellow card shown to a Congo DR player (Moutoussamy #8) for a foul on Bernardo Silva.
5
Banza90'–90'

Received a yellow card for a foul at the very end of the match.

1fouls1 yellow

Match timeline

90'Yellow card shown to Congo DR's Banza (#17) for a foul.
90'Yellow card shown to Congo DR's Banza (#17) for a foul.

Match observations

  • The match ended in a 1-1 draw, with both teams scoring a goal each.
  • Portugal took an early lead, but Congo DR managed to equalize just before half-time.
  • Both teams had significant chances throughout the game, including shots hitting the post and good saves from the goalkeepers.

Under the hood

Model-by-model comparison

Portugal vs DR Congo

Moderate (5.4%)
ModelWeightHomeDrawAway
EloRating-based strength estimate32%
74.1%
22.0%
3.9%
Dixon-ColesGoal-process model with low-score correction63%
69.5%
21.9%
8.6%
Hierarchical PoissonBayesian model with confederation pooling6%
69.5%
21.2%
9.3%
Bayesian stackingLearned-weight combination
80.0%
19.4%
0.6%
Ensemble (published)Uniform average + isotonic calibration
74.0%
21.9%
4.1%
Home spread: 4.6%
Draw spread: 0.8%
Away spread: 5.4%
How each model works
Elo
Each team carries a single strength rating updated after every match by a margin-aware K-factor. Match probabilities come from the logistic function of the rating gap. Elo is fast-adapting but coarse — it sees only who won and by how much, not how the goals were scored.
Dixon-Coles
A Poisson regression on team-level attack and defence parameters, fitted via maximum likelihood with an exponential time-decay weighting. The Dixon-Coles correction adjusts the four low-score cells (0-0, 1-0, 0-1, 1-1) where independent Poisson underestimates dependence. Produces full scoreline distributions, not just H/D/A.
Hierarchical Poisson
A Bayesian Poisson model fitted via MCMC (PyMC) with hierarchical priors that pool attack and defence parameters within confederations. Shrinks small-sample teams toward their confederation mean — helpful for nations with few recent competitive fixtures. Slower to fit but better-calibrated on the tails.
Bayesian stacking
Optimises simplex weights (w_elo, w_dc, w_hp) to maximise the leave-one-out log-score across a walk-forward backtest (Yao et al. 2018). The result is a weighted average of the three component models' probabilities, then isotonic-calibrated. Adds no extra features — just learns which component to trust more from historical accuracy.
Ensemble (published)
Equal-weight average of all three component models, followed by per-class isotonic regression calibration fitted on 24 months of walk-forward out-of-fold predictions. This is the probability published on the site. The uniform mean is deliberately simple — it avoids overfitting to the stacking weights' training window.

Three independent component models feed two combination strategies. The uniform ensemble is the published probability; Bayesian stacking uses learned weights. Amber bars flag >5pp divergence from the published number. Full methodology

Probability decomposition (transparency surface)

  • Baseline ensemble — P(Portugal win)70.3%
  • + Lineup contribution0.0pp
  • + Style-matchup contribution0.0pp
  • Published P(Portugal win)70.3%
Portugal
70.3%
Draw
22.0%
DR Congo
7.6%

Decomposition of the published P(Portugal win) into the calibrated- baseline plus contributions from the §2.3 expected-XI lineup delta and the §2.7 style-matchup interaction. The §2.7 roadmap is explicit that style effects are second-order to team strength — single-digit-percentage P(win) shifts on extreme style matchups, near-zero on balanced ones. We surface the decomposition for transparency even when the contributions are small; the baseline carries the prediction. Methodology: /docs/methodology.

For this fixture both contributions round to under 0.05pp — the fitted style-matchup pair effect is in the small-magnitude regime the model expects to dominate.

Head-to-head history

DateCompetitionVenueScoreResultxG
17 Jun 2026FIFA World CupNHouston11D

Portugal vs DR Congo, every senior international meeting in the martj42 results dataset (score from Portugal's perspective; H/A/N = home/away/neutral).

Latest news & match context

Team news

No recent headlines for Portugal or DR Congo.

Match conditions
Stage:
Group K · Matchday 1
Date:
17 Jun
Availability

Portugal

Portugal come in at close to full strength.

DR Congo

DR Congo come in at close to full strength.

What it means

Portugal and DR Congo both come in at close to full strength, so the forecast rests on baseline team strength rather than late team-news swings.

Availability from the predicted squads and injury feed; forecast adjustments from the model's own decomposition. See /docs/methodology/.

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