HOUSTON, June 16 (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo will be one of the last teams to start their World Cup campaign when they take on Portugal in their Group K opener in Houston on Wednesday, but it will be worth the wait for forward Yoane Wissa.
The squad had a long camp in Europe against the backdrop of the Ebola virus outbreak at home, with friendlies against Denmark and Chile preceding their arrival in Houston, where the stifling humidity has taken some getting used to.
But conversely, it has allowed the players to watch the first 20 matches of the tournament and get a feel for the level of the competition with the country having been absent since their only other appearance as Zaire in 1974.
"You feel lucky because you have time to watch every team to understand the competition and how it is to play the World Cup," Wissa said on Tuesday. "We feel some stress now, but we are looking forward to it.
"Portugal is one of the best teams in the world and I think they're competing to win the World Cup, so we need to be very strong, mentally and physically."
DR Congo will come up against Cristiano Ronaldo, who Wissa knows well from the Premier League having played against him for former club Brentford when the Portuguese forward was in his second spell at Manchester United.
"He scored (a penalty) against us, so yeah, it's going to be the third time I play against him. He's one of the idols for every player, but tomorrow we're going to look him in the eyes and hopefully we are going to win against him," Wissa said.
Morocco, Ivory Coast, Egypt and Cape Verde have all made strong starts to the World Cup and Wissa hopes DR Congo can keep up that good run for the African continent.
"What they have been doing is to show the world that African teams are good. That's really important. Now we have 10 teams competing (at the World Cup) and for sure we have got good quality. I'm really happy and really pleased with the African teams so far," he added.
Wissa had an injury-plagued season with Newcastle United in the 2025-26 campaign, but is able to reflect on how far he has come in his career to be at a World Cup.
"It is a big privilege. I never take anything for granted, so I'm really happy for this moment, for me and for my family, who have always supported me," he said.
"It is a big stage for me, for the Congo team and for the fans. It means a lot."
(Reporting by Nick SaidEditing by Christian Radnedge)
