Portugal face a huge test in their bid for a first World Cup crown when they meet Croatia at BMO Field in Toronto in the early hours of Friday in the round of 32.
The Selecao progressed from Group K as runners-up, finishing two points behind Colombia, while the Vatreni also advanced after placing second in Group L, one point behind England.
Portugal face a stern examination against a side sitting just six places below them in the FIFA World Rankings, although the fifth-ranked Selecao could have earned a more favourable route through the knockout stage with a stronger group campaign.
Roberto Martinez‘s men began their 2026 World Cup with a disappointing 1-1 draw against DR Congo after creating little in attack, finishing with just 0.65 expected goals compared to the Leopards’ 0.87.
Portugal responded in style on matchday two by thrashing Uzbekistan 5-0, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice, before settling for a goalless draw against Colombia after facing 24 shots and managing only 13 of their own.
Second place has handed Martinez’s side what appears to be the tougher side of the draw, with Euro 2024 champions Spain potential round of 16 opponents before possible meetings with co-hosts USA, Belgium or Senegal in the quarter-finals and France or Morocco in the last four.
History does offer Portugal a reason for optimism heading into Friday’s last 32 encounter, having beaten Croatia in their first knockout match at Euro 2016 before going on to lift the trophy despite an underwhelming group-stage campaign.
Confidence should also remain high after a run of eight matches without defeat (W5, D3) since losing to the Republic of Ireland in World Cup qualifying, with Portugal conceding only four goals and recording four clean sheets during this unbeaten spell.
Meanwhile, Croatia have established themselves as one of the World Cup’s most consistent performers after finishing runners-up in 2018 and third in Qatar four years later, with another deep run firmly in their sights.
However, a difficult challenge awaits the Checkered Ones against another one of the tournament favourites, as highlighted in our World Cup 2026 betting guide, after opening their campaign with a 4-2 defeat to England.
Head-to-head record also offers little in the way of optimism for Croatia, who have lost seven of their previous 10 encounters with Portugal and five of the last six competitive clashes, although the sides shared a 1-1 draw in the UEFA Nations League in 2024.
Portugal emerged from the draw with Colombia without any fresh injury concerns, although Martinez could make changes after rotating his side throughout the group stage.
Croatia also avoided any fresh injuries against Ghana, although Dalic could freshen up his starting XI ahead of the knockout stage.
Little separates these two experienced sides on paper, but Portugal’s superior record in this fixture gives them a slight edge heading into Friday’s contest.
Croatia have repeatedly shown they can trouble the world’s best on the biggest stage, as demonstrated by eliminating Brazil in 2022, although the Checkered Ones’s recent defeats against higher-ranked nations suggest the Selecao have enough quality to edge another closely fought contest.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
