DR Congo vs Uzbekistan World Cup 2026: Third-Place Race in Atlanta, DRC -140 to Stay Alive

DR Congo can secure a third-place qualification path with a win over Uzbekistan at Mercedes-Benz Stadium Saturday evening, with FanDuel pricing the match at DRC -140 and ESPN consensus at Uzbekistan +343, per FOX Sports' match preview. Both sides enter eliminated from the top two of Group K, but DRC sit on 1 point while Uzbekistan have 0, and a DRC win combined with the right results elsewhere lifts them into the top eight third-placed teams that advance to the Round of 32. Kickoff is 7:30 PM ET on FS1 in the U.S.

Group K Standings and the Third-Place Math

Colombia top the group on 6 points and Portugal sit second on 4, with both already through to the knockouts. DRC enter matchday 3 on 1 point (0-1-1, minus-1 GD) after a 1-1 draw with Portugal and a 0-1 loss to Colombia. Uzbekistan are on 0 points (0-0-2, minus-7 GD) after losing 3-1 to Colombia and 5-0 to Portugal, per FOX Sports' Group K scenarios.

The 2026 WC format takes the top two from each of the 12 groups plus the eight best third-placed sides into a 32-team knockout round. Four points (a DRC win) gives DRC a strong third-place tally, with the GD swing likely sufficient to land them inside the qualifying eight. Uzbekistan need a win plus a heavy GD swing to overcome the minus-7 hole, which makes their qualification path mathematically alive but practically blocked.

Team News and the Cast

Both squads enter at full health, per ESPN's match preview. Uzbekistan defender Rustamjon Ashurmatov returned from a pre-tournament knee knock for the Portugal match and starts in the back line.

DR Congo: Yoane Wissa (Newcastle) and Cédric Bakambu lead the attack, with Wissa having scored Congo's only goal of the tournament against Portugal. Manager Sébastien Desabre's preferred 4-2-3-1 keeps Chancel Mbemba at center back next to Axel Tuanzebe, with Théo Bongonda on the right.

Uzbekistan: head coach Fabio Cannavaro retains the same XI that played Portugal, with Eldor Shomurodov as captain and primary striker. Shomurodov scored their only goal of the tournament against Colombia. Uzbekistan are making their first ever World Cup appearance and have not lost more than five goals over a single match prior to the Portugal result.

Betting Impact and Prop Markets

The DRC -140 line on FanDuel and the ESPN consensus pricing of Uzbekistan at plus-343 reflect a market that prices DRC's structural edge in the matchup, per FOX Sports. A draw line was not published on the FOX Sports card; books that listed it generally had it in a price range of plus-260 to plus-290.

The prop markets that move:

Match total over/under 2.5: most books juicing the under, given DRC's defensive structure and Uzbekistan's offensive ceiling. The total opened at 2.5 and held through Saturday morning.

Yoane Wissa anytime scorer: a price range of plus-140 to plus-170. Wissa is the cleaner finisher prop in the match given DRC's likely role as the team chasing the win.

Cédric Bakambu anytime: a price range of plus-180 to plus-220. Bakambu has been a substitute through the first two matches but is expected to start with elimination on the line.

Shomurodov anytime scorer: a price range of plus-220 to plus-260. The Uzbekistan captain has scored in both group matches and remains the cleanest single-prop bet on the underdog side.

DRC clean sheet: a price range of plus-280 to plus-320. The Uzbekistan attack has produced 1 goal across two matches and DRC's defensive structure under Desabre profiles as the best they have looked all tournament.

DFS captain pool: Wissa and Bakambu are the chalk captains. Shomurodov is the contrarian leverage option in single-game tournaments where the Uzbekistan attack is priced down.

Responsible gambling note: prices above reflect FanDuel and aggregate U.S. sportsbook pricing pulled Saturday morning. Confirm at your book of record before placing. Lines move.

What to Watch

DRC's third-place qualification is the only live storyline that affects the bracket. A win puts them into the top eight third-place teams and gives the federation its first Round of 32 appearance since the 1974 tournament (as Zaire). The match also affects bracket structure on the bottom half because a third-place qualifier from Group K slots into a specific R32 fixture that the Group K winner does not face until the quarterfinal at earliest.

For Uzbekistan, the tournament closes with a debut record of three matches, one goal, and a likely best-third elimination. Cannavaro's tenure has produced organizational gains that the federation will measure against the qualification cycle for 2030.

For the Saturday matchday picture, see Stat Sniper's Colombia-Portugal preview and the Cristiano Ronaldo sixth-WC goal piece. The Soccer daily picks feed has the rest of the Saturday slate.

Chad AI is tracking the Wissa scorer props, third-place qualification odds, and live group-table swings inside the /chad/ app.

If you bet on the World Cup, please bet responsibly. Stat Sniper is for entertainment purposes only and not financial advice. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.