DR Congo just made history in Houston. The Central African nation secured its first-ever World Cup point with a 1-1 draw against Portugal on June 17, 2026, at NRG Stadium, a result that sent shockwaves through prediction markets and left one of the tournament’s favorites licking their wounds after squandering an early lead.
The last time this country appeared on football’s biggest stage, it was called Zaire, and the year was 1974. In that tournament, they left without a single point from three matches. Fifty-two years later, in their very first game back, they grabbed what generations of Congolese fans could only dream about.
How the match unfolded
Portugal came out looking every bit the heavy favorites they were. João Neves found the net in just the 6th minute, and for a while, the script seemed to be writing itself exactly as the oddsmakers predicted. Pre-match prediction markets had pegged Portugal’s implied probability of winning at roughly 75-76%.
Deep into first-half stoppage time, Yoane Wissa struck to level the score at 45+5 minutes. The timing was brutal for Portugal, perfect for DR Congo, and the kind of dramatic swing that makes the World Cup the most-watched sporting event on the planet.
