Group K · Matchday 1
PortugalvsDR Congo
2026-06-17·12:00 localPredictions finalised
The forecast
Match-outcome probability
- Portugal win74.0%
- Draw21.9%
- DR Congo win4.1%
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%.
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
SteadyPortugal: 3W-2D-1L in their last 6 internationals.
3W-2D-1L in last 6
DR Congo
ImprovingDR 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
Mean of the Dixon-Coles joint goal distribution. Same fit that produces the most-likely-scoreline list below.
Most likely scorelines
- 1–018.0%
- 2–016.7%
- 0–010.8%
- 3–010.1%
- 1–19.3%
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
- 0–032.4%
- 1–028.5%
- 2–013.1%
- 1–17.2%
- 0–17.1%
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 goals89.2%
- More than 1.5 goals66.9%
- More than 2.5 goals39.8%
- More than 3.5 goals19.6%
- More than 4.5 goals8.1%
- More than 5.5 goals2.9%
- Both teams score32.0%
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%
- Draw22.1%
- 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
- 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
- 0–1531.6%
- 15–3021.6%
- 30–4514.8%
- 45–6010.1%
- 60–756.9%
- 75–904.7%
- No goal10.3%
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
| HT ↓ / FT → | HPortugal win | DDraw | ADR Congo win |
|---|---|---|---|
| HPortugal ahead | 47.8% | 2.8% | 0.3% |
| DLevel | 20.6% | 15.7% | 3.8% |
| ADR Congo ahead | 1.6% | 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 FT4.3%
- DR Congo trail at HT, avoid defeat at FT3.1%
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%.
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).
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.
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%.
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).
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.
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).
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)
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
- PPDA
- 21.6
- Possession
- 59%
- Directness (yds/pass)
- 4.5
- Long balls/90
- 30
- Set-piece xG
- 17%
- 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
- Bruno FernandesAttacking midfieldCover: Francisco Trincão · 0.400.56gap
- Diogo CostaGoalkeeperCover: Rui Silva · 0.500.50gap
- Bernardo SilvaAttacking midfieldCover: Francisco Trincão · 0.400.24gap
DR Congo
- Meschak EliaAttacking midfieldNo natural backup0.20gap
- Gaël KakutaAttacking midfieldNo natural backup0.16gap
- 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)
- Cristiano RonaldoPKFW9.5%
- Gonçalo RamosFW2.8%
- João FélixFW2.6%
- Yoane WissaPKFW10.6%
- Cédric BakambuFW5.3%
- Jackson MulekaFW3.2%
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
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
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.
8João Neves5'–5'Scored the opening goal for Portugal with a well-placed header, providing an early lead.
1goals1headers▼
Scored the opening goal for Portugal with a well-placed header, providing an early lead.
Match timeline
7Nuno Mendes17'–17'Made a dangerous attacking run and had a shot on target, showing good offensive contribution from defense.
1shots1on target▼
Made a dangerous attacking run and had a shot on target, showing good offensive contribution from defense.
Match timeline
7Conceição67'–67'Provided a good pass that created a clear scoring opportunity for Ronaldo.
▼
Provided a good pass that created a clear scoring opportunity for Ronaldo.
Match timeline
6Bernardo Silva31'–31'Was fouled, leading to a yellow card for an opponent, but had no other significant contributions.
1fouls won▼
Was fouled, leading to a yellow card for an opponent, but had no other significant contributions.
Match timeline
5Cristiano Ronaldo12'–67'Missed a clear close-range opportunity, failing to convert a significant chance for Portugal.
1shots1fouls won▼
Missed a clear close-range opportunity, failing to convert a significant chance for Portugal.
Match timeline
5Nélson Semedo87'–87'Received a yellow card late in the game for a foul, impacting his defensive rating.
1fouls1 yellow▼
Received a yellow card late in the game for a foul, impacting his defensive rating.
Match timeline
8Wissa45'–45'Scored the crucial equalizer for Congo DR just before half-time and showed attacking threat with another shot.
1goals1shots1headers▼
Scored the crucial equalizer for Congo DR just before half-time and showed attacking threat with another shot.
Match timeline
7Bakambu55'–55'Created a significant chance by hitting the post, demonstrating his attacking threat.
1shots▼
Created a significant chance by hitting the post, demonstrating his attacking threat.
Match timeline
5Mbemba12'–12'Received a yellow card for a foul, impacting his defensive rating.
1fouls1 yellow▼
Received a yellow card for a foul, impacting his defensive rating.
Match timeline
5Moutoussamy31'–31'Received a yellow card for a foul, impacting his defensive rating.
1fouls1 yellow▼
Received a yellow card for a foul, impacting his defensive rating.
Match timeline
5Banza90'–90'Received a yellow card for a foul at the very end of the match.
1fouls1 yellow▼
Received a yellow card for a foul at the very end of the match.
Match timeline
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
| Model | Weight | Home | Draw | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EloRating-based strength estimate | 32% | 74.1% | 22.0% | 3.9% |
| Dixon-ColesGoal-process model with low-score correction | 63% | 69.5% | 21.9% | 8.6% |
| Hierarchical PoissonBayesian model with confederation pooling | 6% | 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% |
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%
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
| Date | Competition | Venue | Score | Result | xG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Jun 2026 | FIFA World Cup | NHouston | 1–1 | D | — |
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
No recent headlines for Portugal or DR Congo.
- Stage:
- Group K · Matchday 1
- Date:
- 17 Jun
Portugal
Portugal come in at close to full strength.
DR Congo
DR Congo come in at close to full strength.
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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