Welcome to The Athletic’s 2026 World Cup tactical group guides, walking you through the key battles on the pitch, the players to look out for, and the fun facts to impress your friends ahead of the tournament.In this article, we will break down Group K — consisting of Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan and DR Congo.Portugal, led by Cristiano Ronaldo in his sixth World Cup, are the favorites to top the group and will be backed by plenty to win overall due to the star quality at their disposal.They made the quarter-finals in 2022 before falling to Morocco, while their 2014 and 2018 campaigns ended in the group stage and Round of 16 respectively.Colombia, ranked 13th, will be their biggest threat. They did not qualify for the Qatar World Cup but took England to penalties in the round of 16 in 2018, matching their best-ever finish. James Rodriguez, who has made their 2026 roster, led a memorable 2014 tournament. At the time of writing, Nestor Lorenzo has won 27 of his 45 matches as head coach while losing just seven times.DR Congo, ranked 45th in the world, have taken the long route to their first World Cup since 1974, needing a 1-0 extra-time win over Jamaica in March’s playoff finals. Their Africa Cup of Nations campaign ended in the Round of 16, but they won seven of their 10 World Cup qualifiers with a stingy defense that conceded just six goals. That is a departure from their last World Cup when DR Congo — then called Zaire — conceded 14 goals in three games to suffer a group-stage exit.Right behind them on the rankings in 50th are World Cup debutants Uzbekistan, who finished second in their qualifying group behind Iran with four wins and two draws from six matches. The man who led them to the promised land, Timur Kapadze, has since been replaced by Ballon d’Or winner Fabio Cannavaro.Under Cannavaro, Uzbekistan’s defense, led by Manchester City’s Abdukodir Khusanov, allowed just five goals in his first seven matches in charge.Will Portugal secure a spot in the Round of 16 before they meet Colombia in their third game or could the backlines of DR Congo and Uzbekistan prove prohibitive? And can Rodriguez and Luis Diaz spearhead another memorable Colombian outing?Luis Diaz has the ability to light up Group K. (Leonardo Castañeda/Getty Images)The gamesMatchday one