The national team will face DR Congo on 17 June at 6 pm, Portuguese time.

The official schedule by the Portuguese Football Federation shows that Portugal will play all three of its matches in the US; the second one also at Houston Stadium on 23 June against Uzbekistan at 6 pm, and close the group in a match against Colombia at Miami Stadium on 28 June at half past midnight, Portuguese time.

The three North American countries, Canada, the United States, and Mexico, are the official hosts of this summer of football. Mexico and South Africa kicked off the tournament at Azteca Stadium last Thursday in Mexico, with Mexico winning the match 2-0. The grand final is scheduled for 19 July at the New York New Jersey Stadium in the US.

New format

For the first time, the tournament will feature 48 teams, an increase from the previous 32-team format, and a total of 72 group-stage matches will be played, up from 48 in previous World Cup editions.

With this year’s new format, the final position in the group is vital for each country. The top two teams from each group and the eight best third-placed teams will advance to the knockout stage, creating a new round of 32 before the round of 16.

If Portugal wins its group, that could mean “a more favourable matchup, where placing second would put the team in a duel with the second-placed team from Group L”, according to Executive Digest.

Colombia is considered Portugal’s most challenging match, with the South American team regarded as a technically strong, competitive team with a tradition in the final stages. As reported by Executive Digest, this third game would decide whether Portugal finishes in first place or enters the knockout phase through a more complex route.

Golden Ball Award

These days, experts are giving their predictions on which player will receive the Golden Ball Award for best player. According to Ryan Tolmich, American Soccer Correspondent at GOAL, Portugal could go all the way, and if they do, it will be because of Vitinha’s play in midfield, he says: “With players like Lionel Messi, Pedri and Bruno Fernandes in the mix for this award, maybe this will be a summer for the midfield maestros, not the goal-scoring heroes, and there are few better maestros than Vitinha.”

Vitinha is also named as one of FIFA’s predictions of contenders for the Golden Ball: “The 26-year-old Portugal playmaker has developed into one of the world’s finest midfielders at Paris Saint-Germain under coach Luis Enrique and is the beating heart of Europe's best club team.”

According to Tom Maston, Features Editor at GOAL, another player, Fernandes, is going to be the one who leads Portugal all the way: “He was the Premier League Player of the Year, has played fewer games over the past season than most of the best players in the world, and will be part of a team who more people should probably be taking seriously. That's right, Bruno Fernandes is going to be the man who leads Portugal all the way in 2026.”