Overview
DRC and Uzbekistan will enter the final match of Group K of the 2026 World Cup in a decisive confrontation for hopes of winning tickets to the 1/16 round.
Both suffered defeats in the previous matches when the DRC lost to Colombia 0-1, and Uzbekistan lost 0-5 to Portugal. However, the opportunity to advance is still not closed for both.
DRC Congo still has hope of competing for second place in the group, although very fragile when they need to create a large gap in goal difference compared to Portugal. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan only has the path to win a ticket as one of the third-placed teams with the best results.
According to the prediction of Opta supercomputer, DRC has a 41.4% chance of going further, while Uzbekistan's ability is only 0.2%.
This is only the second time the DRC has participated in the World Cup, after the first time in 1974 under the name Zaire. The defeat against Colombia means they have lost 4 out of 5 matches at the biggest football festival on the planet.
Compared to the 1974 World Cup, where Zaire conceded 14 goals after 3 group stage matches, the defense of the DRC has improved significantly. After two matches at the 2026 World Cup, their matches have only had a total of 3 goals (scoring 1, conceding 2), belonging to the lowest group of the tournament.
Deep defensive play is the reason for that certainty. DRC Congo only controls the ball on average 29.9% after two matches, fourth lowest at the 2026 World Cup.
Striker Yoane Wissa is a symbol of this playing style. In addition to the team's only goal, the striker currently playing for Brentford also leads the DRC in the number of pressures (162) and pressures in the last 1/3 of the field (49).
However, having to constantly defend also causes players to consume a lot of energy. Coach Seastien Desabre has only used 17 players since the beginning of the tournament, only more than Morocco and Uruguay (16), while Uzbekistan has fielded 22 players.
On the Uzbekistan side, the 0-5 defeat to Portugal revealed many problems for the Central Asian team, especially in defense. They conceded 8 goals after 2 matches and are facing the risk of becoming the first Asian team since the DPRK in 2010 to concede more than 8 goals right from the group stage.
Not only is Uzbekistan's defense poor, but it also faces difficulties in attacking. After two legs, they have only had 11 touches in the opponent's penalty area, only more than Qatar.
The rare bright spot is center-back Abdukodir Khusanov and 18-year-old talent Bekhruz Karimov. If he continues to start against the DRC, Karimov will become the fourth player under 18 years old in history to start all 3 group stage matches at a World Cup, after Manuel Rosas, Norman Whiteside and Gavi.
Head-to-head record
The match in the last round of Group K of the 2026 World Cup will mark the first time the DRC and Uzbekistan have faced each other in history.
Score prediction: DRC 1-0 Uzbekistan
The match between DRC Congo and Uzbekistan takes place at 6:30 am on June 28 (Vietnam time).
