Portugal vs DR Congo: Storm Disrupts Selecao’s Final World Cup Prep

Portugal scrap training in Palm Beach due to storm

Portugal canceled training and media activities in Palm Beach Sunday after a storm hit. Roberto Martinez’s side now prepares indoors for their June 17 World Cup opener vs DR Congo.

Storm forces Portugal to cancel training ahead of World Cup debut vs DR Congo...

Portugal had to scrap their training and media plans Sunday after a storm hit Palm Beach. They’re in the U.S. preparing for their World Cup 2026 debut against DR Congo.

Less than an hour before Matheus Nunes was due at his press conference, media were told to leave the press room and go back to their cars. Gardens North County District Park wasn’t safe enough for the storm conditions.

By 11:00 PM CET, journalists got word that all media activities were off. The national team’s training was also in doubt since the squad was already at the venue, with rain and thunderstorms hitting hard.

The Portuguese Football Federation later confirmed the storm won out. Roberto Martínez’s training session was canceled, and the players switched to indoor physical activation exercises instead.

The Selecao had to move to a safe spot too, and ran through their emergency prep plan for situations like this.

Today’s training got moved up as well. They’ll practice in the morning instead of later because the weather’s expected to get worse in the evening.

🌴 𝑴𝒊𝒂𝒎𝒊 𝑽𝒊𝒃𝒆𝒔 ✨ #VaiDarPortugal | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/jl3uYwfcjO

— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) June 14, 2026

So the media plan changed: one player speaks at 2:45 PM CET, then training starts at 4:30 PM CET with the first 15 minutes open to press.

Portugal are in Group K. They kick off their World Cup on June 17 vs DR Congo in Houston.

Next is World Cup debutants Uzbekistan on June 23, also in Houston at 12:00 PM local / 6:00 PM CET. They wrap the group stage June 27 against Colombia in Miami.