In a thrilling Group L encounter, Harry Kane scored twice while Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford also found the net as Thomas Tuchel's side overcame a spirited Croatian challenge.
While Portugal dominated possession for much of the contest, the African side showcased remarkable discipline, resilience and organisation to frustrate Roberto Martinez's men throughout the evening.
FIFA World Cup 2026 June 18 fixtures (IST): England vs Croatia (1:30 am), Ghana vs Panama (4:30 am), Colombia vs Uzbekistan (7:30 am), Czechia vs South Africa (9:30 pm)
Football fans can watch the live streaming of Portugal vs Congo match on Zee5 by buying subscription of Rs 799 or Rs 1699.
Lionel Messi's hattrick against Algeria takes him to 16 World Cup goals, equalling with Miroslav Klose's all-time record as Kylian Mbappe remains firmly in the race.
Giuliani said all 78 World Cup matches in the United States, along with fan festivals in every host city, will be protected by counter-drone systems throughout the tournament
Messi joins Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal as the only players with goals in five World Cups
Messi's hat-trick against Algeria took the 38-year-old's World Cup tally to 16 goals, drawing level with Miroslav Klose's all-time record set across four tournaments between 2002 and 2014.
Erling Haaland scored the first two FIFA World Cup goals of his career and set up another as Norway defeated Iraq 4-1 in their Group I opener on Wednesday morning
Mbappe is now the joint third-highest goal scorer in FIFA World Cup history with 14 goals to his name
France vs Senegal HIGHLIGHTS: Mbappe, with his second goal against Senegal, is now the leading goal scorer for France, going past Oliver Giroud
Introduced to protect players from extreme heat, mandatory hydration breaks have emerged as one of the most contentious aspects of the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Fifa World Cup 2026 June 17 fixtures (IST): France vs Senegal (12:30 AM), Iraq vs Norway (3:30 AM), Argentina vs Algeria (6:30 AM), Austria vs Jordan (9:30 AM), Portugal vs DR Congo (10:30 PM).
Norway is leaning into the country's centuries-old history as its star-studded men's team, containing Haaland and Martin Odegaard, heads into a first World Cup in 28 years.
"Not only the Argentine population, but everybody-the whole planet-wants to see Messi play," says Argentina coach Scaloni.
France is a two-time champion seeking to reach its third straight World Cup final. Les Blues won in 1998 and 2018, then lost the 2022 final to Argentina on penalty kicks.
Maxi Araujo finally gave the crowd of mostly Uruguay fans in South Florida something to cheer about with his tying goal late in Monday's World Cup opener against Saudi Arabia.
Evans worked Germany's opening 7-1 win over Curacao on Sunday as an assistant to the video assistant referee, based at the World Cup broadcast centre in Dallas.
Belgium held the top spot in the FIFA rankings for several years and had its best World Cup performance when it finished third in Russia in 2018.
Iran coach described his side as "perhaps the most oppressed team at the World Cup" after players were denied recovery time and ordered to leave the US immediately following their 2-2 draw with NZ