1-1 final
Portugal opener
Ronaldo aged 41
Oldest non-goalkeeper starter
Portugal began their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against DR Congo, a result that left the pre-match favorites without the opening win they expected.
Cristiano Ronaldo captained Portugal and played the full match. At 41 years and 132 days old, he passed Pepe as Portugal's oldest World Cup player and became the oldest non-goalkeeper to start a match in tournament history.
Ronaldo worked to lift the tempo and organize his teammates, but Portugal struggled to create clear chances through him during the first half.
His first threatening attempt arrived in the 68th minute, followed by another effort in the 74th as Portugal pushed forward in search of a winner. Neither chance produced a goal.
Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo contrasted Ronaldo's quiet opener with Lionel Messi's hat-trick for Argentina a day earlier. That comparison was the publication's assessment rather than a match statistic.
Portugal still have time to recover in the group stage, while Ronaldo's appearance added another longevity record to his sixth World Cup campaign.