Portugal and Croatia meet in a huge round of 32 clash at the 2026 World Cup, with Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo looking to keep their dreams alive in their final World Cup for their nations.
With both nations having had a bit of a rollercoaster of a group stage, neither side will want their tournament to end at this hurdle.
Portugal arrive at the knockout stage of the tournament after producing some impressive football, although not nearly enough for a team of their quality.
Roberto Martinez’s side were held to a 1-1 draw with DR Congo in their opening game in Group K. They then dispatched of Uzbekistan with ease with a 5-0 win, before finishing off with a 0-0 draw with Colombia.
Croatia had to overcome their own challenges to book their place in the last 32. Zlatko Dalic’s team had to rely on all their experience in key moments of the group stage to make it this far.
They bounced back from an opening 4-2 defeat to old foes England to win their final two Group L games. They beat Panama 1-0 before seeing off Ghana 2-1 in their final game.
Both sides finished second in their respective groups, setting up this fascinating matchup in the round of 32.
The winner of this tie will face the winner of Spain vs Austria in the round of 16 in Dallas on July 6.
How to watch Portugal vs Croatia
Portugal vs Croatia kicks off at 00:00 GMT on Friday, July 3 at the Toronto Stadium.
This match will be shown live in the UK on BBC One, with streaming also available via BBC iPlayer.
In the United States, World Cup coverage is available on FOX Sports and Telemundo.
In Canada, coverage is available on CTV, TSN and RDS.
Portugal team news
The normal focal point of a Portugal team would be Cristiano Ronaldo. The man has dominated for two decades; he is the highest-scoring international of all time. But he isn’t what makes this Portugal team dangerous.
That would be their midfield trio. Bruno Fernandes, João Neves and Vitinha. They are arguably the three best midfielders in the world right now and Portugal have the luxury of having all three.
If this midfield clicks, then it’s hard to think of anyone who can go toe to toe with them on their day. The problem is they haven’t quite clicked as well as Roberto Martinez will have hoped.
Much has been made of Ronaldo’s impact on this team – and whether it’s good or bad – but I don’t see him losing his place now. This is his bread and butter. If you need a goal, there are fewer men I’d like to have in the box than Ronaldo.
The Portuguese defence has also stood resolute so far. Alongside their star-studded midfield, they arguably possess one of the best fullback pairings at the tournament. Nuno Mendes and Joao Cancelo offer the perfect blend of attacking and defensive capabilities.
There are no names on the injury report for Portugal coming into this one. That means Roberto Martinez has a full contingent to choose from.
Expected XI:
(4-2-3-1) Costa – Cancelo, Dias, Veiga, Mendes – Neves, Vitinha – Neto, Fernandes, Joao Felix – Ronaldo.
Croatia team news
One of Croatia’s biggest strengths is the vast amount of experience throughout their team’s spine.
Players like Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic have been here before. They have made it to a World Cup final. They know what it takes to win these kinds of games.
Croatia will need to draw on all of that experience and tournament know-how here if they are to progress.
Whilst they haven’t exactly looked deadly so far this tournament. They also haven’t looked terrible either. They are one of those middle-ground teams at the minute, but you write them off at your own expense.
One of their biggest strengths is their midfield. Maybe it isn’t quite as stacked as Portugal’s, but it still boasts quality.
Mateo Kovacic and Luka Modric will need to be on top form if they are to stand a chance in the midfield battle.
This game could be won or lost out wide. Much of Portugal’s threat comes from their attacking fullbacks. So Perisic and Nikola Vlasic might be forced to work harder going towards their own goal than they would like.
Croatia have been given a clean bill of health for this one. So don’t expect much change from the side that got them this far.
Expected XI:
(4-2-3-1) Livakovic – Stanisic, Sutalo, Pongracic, Gvardiol – Modric, Kovacic – Vlasic, Sucic, Perisic – Budimir.
Portugal vs Croatia stats
- This will be the first-ever FIFA World Cup meeting between Portugal and Croatia.
- Portugal have lost just one of their last nine meetings with Croatia in all competitions (W6 D2).
- Cristiano Ronaldo became, at 41 years and 132 days, the oldest outfield player ever to start a FIFA World Cup match.
- João Neves scored Portugal’s only goal in their 1-1 draw with DR Congo, while the Seleção enjoyed more than 75% possession.
- Luka Modrić became just the second European player to appear at 10 major international tournaments (World Cups and European Championships combined).
- Croatia reached the knockout stage after victories over Panama and Ghana despite opening with a 4-2 defeat to England.
Portugal vs Croatia prediction
This feels like one of the toughest round of 32 ties to call. Neither Portugal nor Croatia have been at their very best throughout the group stage, but both have shown enough quality to suggest they can make a deep run in this tournament.
Portugal arrive as slight favourites because of the attacking talent they have at their disposal.
Even so, they haven’t looked as fluent as many expected. They were frustrated by DR Congo and couldn’t find a breakthrough against Colombia. Because of that, there are still questions over whether they can break down organised defences.
Croatia, meanwhile, have grown into the tournament after that opening defeat to England. Back-to-back wins showed exactly why they are such a difficult side to face, with their experience helping them manage games when it was needed.
The biggest concern for Croatia is dealing with Portugal’s quality in the final third. Give players like Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes or Joao Felix too much space and they will punish you.
At the other end, Croatia have enough creativity and quality to cause Portugal problems themselves. They have looked dangerous going forward in recent games and won’t be afraid to commit players forward on the counter.
I don’t see either side running away with this one. Instead, it feels like the kind of knockout match that stays close for long periods before a brief moment of quality settles it.
Both teams have enough attacking quality to get on the scoresheet, so both teams to score stands out as a strong option. As for the result, I’m backing Portugal to edge a tight contest and book their place in the round of 16.
Bruno Fernandes to score or assist is also a pick I’d be looking at for this one. If Portugal are to create chances, it will be Bruno who is likely to be pulling the strings.
