WC 2026 · HEAD-TO-HEAD · GROUP K MEETING
🇨🇩
DR Congo
GROUP KFIFA #462 PL
vs
🇺🇿
Uzbekistan
GROUP KFIFA #501 PL
WHAT THIS MATCHUP MEANS

The story before a ball is kicked

DR Congo arrive in Group K as the underdog seed with 2 Premier League players in their squad. Uzbekistan share that group as the underdog seed with 1 PL regular.

The two meet directly in the group stage. The result is critical — Group K's order through R32 is decided across just three matchdays, and head-to-head between equally-ranked teams is the second tiebreaker after points.

The pre-match weight of evidence leans DR Congo's way only just. Below: a six-dimension head-to-head, the Premier League club distribution per squad, and the Onside verdict.

INTERACTIVE · COMBINED DREAM XI

Build the best XI from BOTH squads

Tap any pitch slot to pick from DR Congo + Uzbekistan. Switch formation any time. Saved on this device.

▶ SHARE ON X
0 / 11COD 0·UZB 0
+GK+DEF+DEF+DEF+DEF+MID+MID+MID+FWD+FWD+FWD

Sources: official 26-man squads via football-data.org · Premier League roster fallback when feed lags. Loading saved picks…

HEAD-TO-HEAD · 6 DIMENSIONS

DR Congo vs Uzbekistan — where each one wins

Each row scores the two teams 0–100 on a dimension. Longer bar = stronger. The colour-coded chip on the right names the winner of each axis.

FormHow strong they are on paper (FIFA world ranking)
COD +4
55
51
PL footprintHow many Premier League players are in the squad
COD +4
9
5
Host edgeWhether they have home advantage as a host nation
LEVEL
0
0
Group seedSeed position in their group of four
COD +25
50
25
ConfedTheir confederation's historical tournament strength
COD +10
60
50
ExperienceA proxy for tournament heritage (rank + confederation)
COD +3
43
40
DR Congo
Uzbekistan
SQUAD CLUBS · PL PERSPECTIVE

Whose PL players are at the World Cup

If you own any of these clubs' assets in FPL, this matchup matters to your pre-season — tournament minutes here become Saturday minutes in August.

SQUAD · PL CLUB BREAKDOWN

Where DR Congo's 2 PL players come from

For FPL managers: if you own any of these clubs' assets, DR Congo's tournament minutes shape your pre-season. Newcastle leads with 1 player (50%).

2PL STARS
Newcastle1 · 50%
West Ham1 · 50%
SQUAD · PL CLUB BREAKDOWN

Where Uzbekistan's 1 PL player comes from

For FPL managers: if you own any of these clubs' assets, Uzbekistan's tournament minutes shape your pre-season. Man City leads with 1 player (100%).

1PL STARS
Man City1 · 100%
ONSIDE VERDICT

Edge to DR Congo · but narrowly

  • ·DR Congo sit #46 in the FIFA world ranking — 4 places clear of Uzbekistan.
  • ·DR Congo's squad carries 2 Premier League regulars vs Uzbekistan's 1 — sharper match-fitness coming into the tournament.
REFERENCE · AXIS BREAKDOWN
AxisDR CongoUzbekistanEdge
Form5551COD +4
PL footprint95COD +5
Host edge00level
Group seed5025COD +25
Confed6050COD +10
Experience4340COD +2
OTHER COMPARISONS
HEAD-TO-HEAD · MODEL RATINGS

DR Congo vs Uzbekistan

DR CONGO
UZBEKISTAN
FORM SCORE
40
40
ATTACK
40
35
DEFENCE
30
30
EXPERIENCE
34
30
SQUAD-STRENGTH BREAKDOWN

Strength by department

DR CONGO
  • Attack34
  • Midfield29
  • Defence24
  • GK14
UZBEKISTAN
  • Attack30
  • Midfield25
  • Defence20
  • GK10
PREVIOUS WORLD CUP ENCOUNTERS

No previous WC encounters

These two haven't met at a World Cup in our 2002-2022 window. Qualifier + friendly history will be added as football-data feed warms up.

WC 2002-2022
DR Congo vs Uzbekistan
No meeting in this window

Source: openfootball/worldcup.json (CC0). World Cup 2002 → 2022 inclusive.

KEY PLAYERS · BOTH SIDES

The match-defining names

DR CONGO

Top-3 by projected xP/90 — these are the players the model rates as match-defining for DR Congo.

View full DR Congo squad →
UZBEKISTAN

Top-3 by projected xP/90 — these are the players the model rates as match-defining for Uzbekistan.

View full Uzbekistan squad →
WC MATCHDAY BRIEF · ONE LIST, TWO SEASONS

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DR Congo vs Uzbekistan — World Cup 2026 Head-to-Head · Onside