Colombia secured its place in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo in the final fixture of Group K’s second round, played in Zapopan, Mexico.
Following his previous goal in Colombia’s 3-1 opening win against Uzbekistan, right-back Daniel Muñoz struck again in the 76th minute to break the Congolese resistance.
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With this victory, Los Cafeteros join a growing list of nations that have already mathematically secured their spot in the knockout stage, alongside Mexico, the United States, Germany, France, Norway, and defending champions Argentina.
The South American side now stands alone at the top of the group with a perfect record of six points. They will face second-placed Portugal this Saturday in a highly anticipated third-round clash to determine who takes the top seed out of Group K. Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of Congo stays on one point, and debutants Uzbekistan sit at the bottom with zero.
Group K standings — matchday 2 complete
| Position | Team | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | GD | Points | Status |
| 1st | Colombia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 6 | Qualified |
| 2nd | Portugal | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 4 | In Contention |
| 3rd | DR Congo | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 1 | In Contention |
| 4th | Uzbekistan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 | -7 | 0 | In Contention |
