Texas, June 18: Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo became the oldest outfield player to start a FIFA World Cup match after featuring in Portugal’s opening Group match against DR Congo at the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Wednesday.
At 41 years and 132 days, Ronaldo surpassed the previous record held by Canada’s Atiba Hutchinson, who started against Croatia at the 2022 FIFA World Cup at the age of 39 years and 296 days.
The Portugal forward also became only the second men’s player to appear in six FIFA World Cup tournaments, joining Lionel Messi. Ronaldo’s World Cup appearances span from Germany 2006 to North America 2026, representing Portugal in every edition during that period.
Despite the milestone, Portugal were held to a 1-1 draw by DR Congo in their tournament opener.Portugal took the lead in the sixth minute when Pedro Neto delivered a cross for João Neves, who headed the ball into the net to register his fourth international goal.
DR Congo equalised in first-half stoppage time through Yoane Wissa, who converted a cross from Arthur Masuaku after finding space inside the penalty area.
Portugal had a goal ruled out early in the second half when João Cancelo’s effort was disallowed for offside. DR Congo later came close to taking the lead, with Cedric Bakambu striking the post.
Ronaldo struggled to influence the match, recording 25 touches and three shots, none of which were on target. He also won only one duel during the contest.
Substitute Francisco Conceição created opportunities in the closing stages, but Portugal were unable to find a winning goal as DR Congo held on to secure a point.
The result marked a positive start for DR Congo, who are making their first FIFA World Cup appearance since 1974, while Portugal opened their campaign with a draw.