Portugal vs Spain - prediction, team news, lineups | World Cup 2026

Iberian adversaries spell head-to-head successful the standout fixture of the World Cup 2026 past 16, arsenic Portugal and Spain scrap it retired astatine the AT&T Stadium connected Monday.

Roberto Martinez's troops survived a mammoth scare to decision Croatia 2-1 successful their opening knockout game, portion Luis de la Fuente's men enjoyed a simpler 3-0 stroll against Austria successful the past 32.

Match preview

Cristiano Ronaldo could bash nought but ticker connected helplessly from the seat erstwhile Josko Gvardiol thought he had taken Portugal vs. Croatia to other clip successful the past 32, aft earlier efforts from Ivan Perisic, Goncalo Ramos and the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

The shot intelligibly struck Renato Veiga and Mario Pasalic en way to Gvardiol's feet, but replays were inconclusive erstwhile analysing a imaginable interaction disconnected the caput of Igor Matanovic, forcing the officials to trust connected shot sensors to find whether the towering Croatia striker did so marque interaction astatine the constituent Pasalic was successful an offside position.

The 'snickometer' did not lie, and Croatia's last-gasp leveller was ruled retired successful beforehand of a jubilant Selecao bench, ensuring that Ronaldo's World Cup imagination would proceed astatine the disbursal of chap all-time large Luka Modric's.

Portugal besides erased 60 years of past by reaching the past 16, winning a World Cup lucifer aft trailing for the archetypal clip since 1966 against DPR Korea, but the last-16 curse has bedevilled them successful caller times.

Indeed, the Selecao's World Cup runs successful 2010 and 2018 some ended astatine this stage, arsenic did their Euro 2020 travel earlier back-to-back quarter-final exits astatine the 2022 Mundial and 2024 continental championships.

Also correcting their ain knockout wrongs, Spain's convincing occurrence implicit Austria remarkably marked their archetypal non-group signifier triumph astatine the World Cup since Andres Iniesta took down the Netherlands during the 2010 final.

Two strikes from planetary mastermind Mikel Oyarzabal - present boasting 23 extremity involvements from his past 16 starts for La Roja - either broadside of a Pedro Porro header did the harm for the European champions, whose three-strike showing saw them people aggregate goals successful a World Cup knockout crippled for the archetypal clip since 1994.

Now connected a three-game triumphant streak astatine the World Cup, Spain's defence has unexpectedly taken much of the plaudits than their offence, arsenic De la Fuente's broadside are 1 of 2 remaining sides yet to concede a azygous extremity alongside co-hosts Mexico.

Moreover, the European champions did not look a azygous changeable connected people successful their last-32 lucifer - the archetypal clip specified an lawsuit occurred successful a World Cup knockout crippled since Argentina vs. Germany successful the 2014 last - further enhancing their outright victor likelihood among the best World Cup betting sites.

Spain besides clasp the humanities borderline from predominant meetings with Portugal - losing conscionable 7 of their erstwhile 41 battles - though 1 of those defeats came connected penalties successful their astir caller head-to-head; the 2024-25 Nations League final.

Portugal World Cup form:

Portugal signifier (all competitions):

Spain World Cup form:

Spain signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Blessed with a fully-fit squad for the past 16, Portugal brag Martinez is not expected to tinker with a winning formula, nor is helium apt to axe Ronaldo from the archetypal XI contempt the 41-year-old's substitution successful the last-32 triumph implicit Croatia.

Ronaldo was little than impressed astatine his aboriginal withdrawal, which came aft the Al-Nassr prima yet scored a first-ever World Cup knockout extremity and earlier Ramos maintained his astounding large tourney ratio.

The AC Milan caller lad averages a extremity oregon assistance each 37 minutes astatine the World Cup - the champion ratio of immoderate Portugal subordinate with 5 oregon much involvements - but helium volition beryllium restricted to a ace sub relation again.

The lone flimsy question people successful the Selecao XI lies connected the right-hand side, wherever Pedro Neto indispensable fend disconnected contention from Bernardo Silva and Francisco Conceicao.

On Spain's end, nary of Lamine Yamal, Porro, Dani Olmo oregon Aymeric Laporte trained afloat connected Friday, but nary is said to beryllium carrying a superior issue; alternatively their workloads were being managed.

However, the aforesaid cannot beryllium said for Yeremy Pino (shoulder) and Nico Williams (adductor), some of whom are expected to miss the last-16 clash but person not been ruled retired of further rounds conscionable yet.

Marcos Llorente is simply a viable Porro alternate if De la Fuente avoids risking the latter, but an unchanged Roja XI is expected to instrumentality to the field.

Portugal imaginable starting lineup:

Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Veiga, Mendes; Vitinha, Neves; Neto, Fernandes, Leao; Ronaldo

Spain imaginable starting lineup:

Simon; Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Baena; Oyarzabal

We say: Portugal 1-2 Spain

Spain's so-far impenetrable defence faces its toughest introspection yet successful Arlington, wherever midfield battles should instrumentality centre signifier betwixt the 2 teams who some mean implicit 60% possession astatine the 2026 World Cup.

However, arsenic La Roja's rearguard has looked acold steadier passim the tournament, we person implicit assurance successful Spain to douse Ronaldo's World Cup dreams erstwhile and for all.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.