DR Congo vs Uzbekistan | FIFA World Cup 2026 — Group Stage | Preview and Prediction
African side DR Congo will face debutants Uzbekistan in their last Group K fixture at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 28 at Atlanta Stadium in the US.
For the game, here we present our preview and prediction.
FIFA WC26 | Group K: COD vs UZB | 05:30 IST, June 28, 2026
Returning to the World Cup stage after five decades has been a decent outing so far for the DR Congo, who have earned a valuable point against European giants Portugal and lost narrowly to Colombia. They have an outside chance of qualifying for the knockout stage if they win this game.
Their game against Colombia was a tough one, as they were on the defensive for most of the game and thoroughly frustrated the South American heavyweights, who could only score one goal, which arrived courtesy of fullback Daniel Muñoz.
As for their opponents in this game, Uzbekistan haven’t fared well and will need to improve further to continue featuring on the biggest stage of the game. Uzbekistan came into this World Cup on a two-game losing streak, which has now extended to four games as they lost to both Colombia and Portugal, and by a heavy margin too.
Last time out, the Uzbeks couldn’t control the game against a rampant Portuguese side, who were desperate to win after drawing their first game. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace, with Nuno Mendes and Rafa Leão also getting on the scoresheet. Abduvohid Nematov put one into his own goal as Portugal scored five, knocking the Oq bo?rilar out of the tournament.
Both teams have fully fit squads at their disposal for this final group stage fixture. This is a game where the Congolese can show their attacking intent instead of defending deep and exploit Uzbekistan’s vulnerable backline, which has already conceded eight goals in two games. Yoane Wissa will be key to his side’s slim chances of making the knockout stage. The Léopards will have to be wary of young Abbosbek Fayzullayev, who scored Uzbekistan’s first goal at this World Cup and could prove to be a tricky customer.
This is a tough game to call, but we believe the DR Congo can get a narrow win here and keep their chances of knockout qualification alive.
Score Prediction: Democratic Republic of the Congo 2–1 Uzbekistan
Venue: Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia, USA