Rising star Lamine Yamal will come face-to-face with one of the all-time greats of football Cristiano Ronaldo as Spain and Portugal are poised to lock horns in a Round of 16 fixture of FIFA World Cup 2026. The highly anticipated match will be held on Tuesday, July 7 and the winner of this game will take on either USA or Belgium in the quarter-finals.
Portugal's performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far
Portugal had a mixed and somewhat inconsistent group-stage campaign in the tournament. They began with a 1-1 draw against DR Congo in a match where they struggled to impose their rhythm, before responding emphatically with a commanding 5-0 win over World Cup debutants Uzbekistan that showcased their attacking depth and control.
However, they were held again in their final group game, this time to a goalless draw against Colombia. With one win and two draws, Portugal finished second in Group K, enough to secure qualification for the knockout stage but without fully convincing as group winners.
In the Round of 32, Portugal were drawn against 2018 World Cup runners-up Croatia in what promised to be a tightly contested encounter. The match lived up to expectations, swinging back and forth in intensity.
Croatia took the lead through Ivan Perišić in the 53rd minute, putting Portugal under real pressure, but Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up in the 68th minute to convert from the penalty spot and register his first-ever World Cup knockout-stage goal, also becoming the oldest player to score in a World Cup knockout match at 41.
The game remained finely balanced deep into stoppage time, with substitute Gonçalo Ramos eventually rising to head home a dramatic winner for Portugal. Croatia thought they had snatched a last-gasp equaliser in the 103rd minute through Josko Gvardiol, but celebrations were cut short after a VAR review ruled the goal offside due to an earlier touch by Igor Matanović.
The controversial finish sparked frustration on the Croatian side but secured Portugal a dramatic 2-1 victory in a match widely regarded as one of the most thrilling encounters of the tournament.
Also Read | FIFA Clarifies Why Gvardiol's Late Equaliser Against Portugal Was Disallowed
Spain's performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far
Spain entered into the tournament earmarked as one of the favourites to win the coveted trophy this time around. However La Roja got a serious reality check in their tournament opener as they were held to a goalless draw by World Cup debutants Cabo Verde.
The reigning European champions bounced back from the surprise stalemate by beating Saudi Arabia 4-0 in their next fixture. The 2010 champions rounded off their group-stage with 1-0 win over Uruguay.
Two wins and a draw secured the top spot for Spain in Group H and confirmed their place in the Round of 32.
Spain's first opponents in the knockouts were Austria. A brace by Mikel Oyarzabal and one goal from Pedro Porro was enough for Luis de la Fuente's men to secure a comfortable 3-0 win over their European rivals.
Spain are heading into their last 16 game as one of the two teams yet to concede a goal in the tournament.
Also Read | Who Is Unai Simon? Meet The Spanish Goalkeeper Who Set A New FIFA World Cup Clean-Sheet Record
Spain vs Portugal Match Time and Venue
The Spain vs Portugal Round of 16 tie will be staged at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The kick-off time is 12.30 AM IST.
Head-to-Head
Matches Played: 44
Portugal wins: 7
Spain wins: 19
Draws: 18
Form Guide (last five matches, most recent first):
Spain: W-W-W-D-W
Portugal: W-D-W-D-W
Portugal
Possible playing XI (4-2-3-1): Diogo Costa; Nuno Mendes, Renato Veiga, Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo; Vitinha, Joao Neves; Rafael Leao; Bruno Fernandes, Pedro Neto, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Substitutes: Jose Sa, Rui Silva, Ricardo Velho, Tomas Araujo, Diogo Dalot, Goncalo Inacio, Matheus Nunes, Nelson Semedo, Samuel Costa, Ruben Neves, Bernardo Silva, Francisco Conceicao, Joao Felix, Goncalo Guedes, Goncalo Ramos, Francisco Trincao.
Coach: Roberto Martinez
Spain
Possible playing XI (4-2-3-1): Unai Simon; Marc Cucurella, Aymeric Laporte, Pau Cubarsi, Pedro Porro; Pedri, Rodri; Alex Baena, Dani Olmo, Lamine Yamal; Mikel Oyarzabal.
Substitutes: David Raya, Joan Garcia, Marcos Llorente, Marc Pubill, Eric Garcia, Alejandro Grimaldo, Martin Zubimendi, Fabian Ruiz, Mikel Merino, Alex Baena, Ferran Torres, Borja Iglesias, Victor Munoz Nico Williams, Yeremy Pino.
Coach: Luis de la Fuente
Players to watch
Lamine Yamal (Spain): Portugal will be the first big test for Spain in their pursuit to win second World Cup trophy. In this high-stake clash, the spotlight will be on wonderboy Lamine Yamal. The Barcelona forward is playing his first World Cup and thus far has scored one goal. Yamal's lightning fast pace will test Portugal's defense. So the teenager will be the one to watch out for in this match.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal): The last time these two teams faced-off on the World Cup stage was in Russia in 2018 and Ronaldo made that game memorable with a hat-trick. He also scored once during the last year's UEFA Nations League final which Portugal beat Spain on penalties.
The Portuguese skipper heads into this match breaking his long duck of never scoring in a World Cup knockout game. CR7 will be motivated to score more goals as Portugal build momentum in claiming their first World cup title.
How To Watch Live Telecast?
The Portugal vs Spain FIFA World Cup 2026 match will be televised live in India on Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2 and Unite8 Sports 2 HD television channels.
How To Watch Live Streaming?
The Portugal vs Spain FIFA World Cup 2026 game will be streamed live on the ZEE5 app and website in English, Malayalam, Bangla and Hindi.
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
