World Cup 2026 Travel Guide, Day 7: Portugal, England, Ghana, Croatia & More

TAP Air Portugal — a Star Alliance member hubbed at Lisbon (LIS), with a second hub at Porto (OPO). TAP is one of Europe’s most interesting airlines to study because its route map doubles as a history lesson: it connects Portugal to Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, and São Tomé — the entire Portuguese-speaking world, still wired to Lisbon by air. I’ve been to Portugal several times and it never gets old. Porto and the Douro Valley are among my favorite places anywhere — I wrote up Porto if you’re considering the trip.

Here’s the story of the day: DR Congo has a brand-new flag carrier. Air Congo launched in December 2024 — and has just scheduled its first European route, Kinshasa (FIH) to Brussels, from July 1, 2026, operating on Ethiopian Airlines 787-8 aircraft. For a country the size of Western Europe, building an international airline from scratch in the middle of a World Cup year is a statement. And for the country itself: this is their first World Cup since 1974 — when they competed as Zaire. A 52-year wait.

No nonstops from North America to Kinshasa. The realistic routings run through Brussels (Brussels Airlines flies BRU–FIH nonstop), Paris (Air France CDG–FIH), Addis Ababa (Ethiopian Airlines), Istanbul (Turkish Airlines), or Doha (Qatar Airways). For Congolese fans making the journey to Houston, this was an epic multi-hub trip — and a testament to how much the World Cup means to a team that has waited half a century to be back. DR Congo is one I haven’t reached yet, but it’s genuinely on my list.

British Airways (oneworld) and Virgin Atlantic — the two pillars of transatlantic flying from London. BA is the fourth-largest airline in the world by passengers and hubs at London Heathrow (LHR); Virgin Atlantic (independent, no alliance) also operates from Heathrow and Gatwick. London is my most-visited city anywhere in the world. Over the years I’ve logged all six of London’s commercial airports: Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, City, and Southend — with London City (LCY) being the last one I needed. The approach into LCY, descending over the Docklands with the City of London right outside the window, is one of the most dramatic of any commercial airport anywhere. I’ve flown both BA and Virgin many times; my very first international non-rev trip was on a VS 747-400 to Heathrow — and as we waited in the jetway, the then-CEOs of Delta (Ron Allen) and Virgin (Richard Branson) came through and shook our hands. Hard to forget a start like that. More on London and the London travel guide if you’re planning a trip.

Croatia Airlines — a Star Alliance member based at Zagreb (ZAG), relatively small by European standards but punching above its weight for a country that has become one of the continent’s most popular tourist destinations. The Game of Thrones effect on Dubrovnik is real — Croatian tourism has grown dramatically over the past decade. I was there before it got popular: Zagreb, Dubrovnik, and my favorite, Cavtat — a quieter town just south of Dubrovnik that I reached by ferry, returning by bus. There’s a cemetery in Cavtat that holds a lot of history about the war years. A very moving place to visit. I’ve flown Croatia Airlines too.

No nonstops from North America to Zagreb. But Croatia is reachable: United flies Newark nonstop to both Dubrovnik (DBV) and Split (SPU) — the two most popular tourist destinations on the Adriatic coast. Air Transat connects Toronto to Zagreb direct. Croatia Airlines itself flies from London Heathrow and Gatwick to both Zagreb and Split, and British Airways even serves Split from London City Airport — that stunning LCY approach — meaning you can arrive in Croatia having just departed one of the world’s most dramatic landing experiences.

Ghana has no flag carrier — and this is now the fifth country in this World Cup series to arrive without a national airline. Ghana Airways ceased operations in 2004/2005, and multiple attempts to revive or replace it have come and gone. The aviation market is served entirely by private and international carriers through Kotoka International Airport (ACC) in Accra. I’ve been to Ghana myself — spent time around the Ada Foah area, and Accra has an energy that reminded me a lot of Jamaica: organized transportation chaos that somehow works perfectly.

Copa Airlines — a Star Alliance member and one of the great aviation stories of Latin America. Copa’s hub is Tocumen International Airport (PTY) in Panama City, self-branded “The Hub of the Americas” — and it earns the name. Copa operates the most extensive hub-and-spoke network in the Western Hemisphere outside the US, connecting virtually every country in Central and South America through PTY. It’s a machine. I’ve been to Panama twice — once via a cruise ship, once as a standalone trip — and I was genuinely awed by the Canal the first time I stood beside it. Something about watching a ship that massive move through a lock built over a century ago. The Intercontinental Hotel downtown, where you can sit and watch the ships pass the bay, is my favorite hotel in the city. I’ve also flown Copa personally. Panama City deserves more credit than it gets.

Panama City is extremely well-connected. Copa flies nonstop from Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, New York JFK, Raleigh, San Diego, San Francisco, Tampa, Washington, and Montreal. United adds Houston and Newark. American serves Miami. Delta flies from Atlanta. WestJet connects Calgary. Aeromexico adds Mexico City. Air France flies CDG–PTY, and KLM connects Amsterdam. For the non-rev traveler, Panama is also one of the best connecting points in the Americas — if you’re headed anywhere in South America, Copa through PTY is often the most frequency-rich option.

Avianca — a Star Alliance member and one of the oldest commercial airlines on earth. Founded in 1919, Avianca is the second-oldest airline in the Americas in continuous operation. Its hub is Bogotá’s El Dorado International Airport (BOG), the busiest airport in Latin America by international passengers. I’ve been to Colombia twice — great country, worth the trip.

Uzbekistan Airways — the flag carrier, hubbed at Tashkent International Airport (TAS). This is Uzbekistan’s first-ever World Cup appearance, and Abbosbek Fayzullayev made history in the 60th minute by scoring the country’s first-ever World Cup goal — an equalizer against Colombia. The team is coached by Fabio Cannavaro, the Italian defender who captained Italy to the 2006 World Cup title. Uzbekistan is not yet on my visited list — my only Central Asian stop has been Kazakhstan — but Tashkent, Samarkand, and the Silk Road history put it firmly on the itinerary.

Here’s the surprise: Uzbekistan Airways flies JFK to Tashkent nonstop — a route that isn’t widely known. The airline also serves London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Frankfurt, Paris, Milan, and Rome. For travelers without the JFK option, connect through Istanbul on Turkish Airlines, Doha on Qatar Airways, or Dubai on FlyDubai — all serve TAS nonstop.