Few teams were more impressive than DR Congo in the first round of matches at the 2026 World Cup.
Opposite one of the tournament favorites and making their first appearance in the World Cup since 1974, when the country was known as Zaire, DR Congo pushed Portugal to the brink in a 1-1 draw. Les Leopards were disciplined in defense and threatening on the counterattack, and were slightly unlucky not to get the victory.
DR Congo only had 25 percent of the possession, but they created 0.85 expected goals, which was more than Portugal (0.65) despite Os Navegadores having the ball for most of the match.
Can DR Congo repeat the feat against Colombia on Tuesday night in Guadalajara?
The bookies aren’t so sure.
Colombia got out of a tricky encounter with Uzbekistan with a 3-1 win, but it was a ragged effort. The Uzbek defense sat deep and frustrated Colombia for much of the match, played in tough conditions and ugly weather, but Los Cafeteros broke the deadlock in the second half and padded their lead.
DR Congo will offer up a similar look to Uzbekistan in this contest, but there is a key difference between the White Wolves and Les Leopards.
While the Uzbeks offered very little threat on the counter, DR Congo put a serious scare into Portugal every time they forced a turnover.
Yoane Wissa and Cedric Bakambu were threats throughout the entire match, and their presence made one of the most talented attacks in the tournament play a very tepid style of soccer out of fear of getting punished in transition.
Colombia dominated the ball in their win over Uzbekistan, but they really struggled to make that possession count, and they were still susceptible to a couple of counters from the World Cup debutantes.
I expect DR Congo to pack much more punch than the Uzbeks did, and the price on Les Leopards pulling the upset is worth a sprinkle.
The Play: Congo moneyline (+600, FanDuel)
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
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