Portugal vs Spain Preview: Team News & Prediction | FIFA World Cup 2026 | Round of 16
The Iberian Peninsula takes centre stage at FIFA World Cup 2026 in Dallas as the star-studded Portuguese take on European champions Spain in the Round of 16.
Kick-off date/time:
How to watch on TV: UK – BBC / USA – FOX Sports
How to watch online: UK – BBC iPlayer & the BBC Sport website & app / USA – FOX One
Portugal preview: Grinding it out
Portugal head into the Round of 16 on the back of a dramatic clash with Croatia. After an entertaining but goalless first half, Croatia threatened to blow Portugal away with Ivan Perisic giving them an early second half-lead. Roberto Martinez made four changes around the hour mark, steadying the ship before Cristiano Ronaldo converted a penalty to equalise.
In the final stages of the game, Croatia continued to push on and look the slicker and more cohesive of the two sides, having a second goal disallowed with Petar Sucic straying just offside before Goncalo Ramos headed home an eventual winner for Portugal.
That goal being the winner was in doubt when Josko Gvardiol scored in the 13th minute of stoppage-time, only for that to also be disallowed with the referee deeming Igor Matanovic to have touched the ball on the way through to Mario Pasalic. That is something that has been debated, despite VAR’s equivalent of cricket’s ‘snicko’ suggesting there was the slightest of grazes from Matanovic.
Spain preview: Finding their fluency
After a fairly tricky and unconvincing group stage, Luis de la Fuente’s Spain found their rhythm against Austria, having weathered an early spell of pressure from Ralf Rangnick’s Austrians. La Roja ran out comfortable 3-0 winners in the end with a Mikel Oyarzabal brace either side of a Pedro Porro header in Los Angeles.
In the groups, the Spanish had begun with a goalless draw against Cabo Verde in Atlanta before blowing Saudi Arabia away early on, settling for a 4-0 win in the end with three of those goals coming before the first-half hydration break. They then edged past a poor Uruguay side to win Group H in their final group stage game in Guadalajara.
Portugal team news: Stubborn Martinez
Further team news will appear here closer to the match after pre-match press conferences…
Cristiano Ronaldo was persisted with by Roberto Martinez and he scored his first knockout goal at a FIFA World Cup with the equalising penalty before being replaced ahead of Portugal snatching their victory.
Goncalo Ramos, who replaced Ronaldo in the eleven and scored a hat-trick in their 6-1 defeat of Switzerland in the Round of 16 at FIFA World Cup 2022, will be desperate for a start, and is potentially deserving of one, but that remains unlikely.
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Veiga, Mendes; Vitinha, J. Neves; Neto, Fernandes, Leao; Ronaldo
Unavailable:
Questionable:
Spain team news: Attacking injuries
Further team news will appear here closer to the match after pre-match press conferences…
Spain are still dealing with a few injuries in the final third. It is expected that both Nico Williams and Yeremy Pino will miss out due to injury, while fellow winger Victor Munoz is working his way back to full fitness.
Alex Baena has filled in on the left-wing and provided a higher level of composure and quality than Gavi, his competition for that position, combining well with the excellent Marc Cucurella.
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Simon; Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Gavi; Oyarzabal
Unavailable:
Questionable: Munoz (Fitness), Williams (Injured), Pino (Injured)
Portugal’s top FIFA World Cup Fantasy assets
Nuno Mendes ($5.8m) – Defender
Bruno Fernandes ($8.5m) – Midfielder
Cristiano Ronaldo ($10.0m) – Forward
Matchday 5 captain pick: Cristiano Ronaldo
Set-piece duty
Penalties: Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes
Free kicks: Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes
Corners: Bruno Fernandes, Nuno Mendes
Spain’s top FIFA World Cup Fantasy assets
Marc Cucurella ($5.1m) – Defender
Lamine Yamal ($10.0m) – Midfielder
Mikel Oyarzabal ($8.1m) – Forward
Matchday 5 captain pick: Lamine Yamal
Set-piece duty
Penalties: Mikel Oyarzabal, Lamine Yamal, Rodri
Free kicks: Pedri, Lamine Yamal
Corners: Lamine Yamal, Pedri
Key stats
- There have been two World Cup meetings between Portugal and Spain. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick when they drew 3-3 in Sochi in their opening group game of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Ronaldo was also in the Portugal side when they lost 1-0 to eventual champions Spain in the round of 16 of the 2010 tournament in Cape Town.
- Portugal have lost only three of their last 15 matches at the FIFA World Cup (W7 D5).
- Portugal are aiming to reach successive World Cup quarter-finals for the first time. They defeated Switzerland 6-1 at this stage of the competition in 2022.
- Against Croatia, Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 11th goal at the FIFA World Cup and his first in the knockout phase.
- Spain are aiming to reach the quarter‑finals for the first time since 2010, when they beat Portugal 1-0 in the round of 16. They have been eliminated via penalty shoot‑outs in their last two appearances at this stage — against Russia in 2018 and Morocco in 2022.
- Spain are unbeaten in regular time in their last 34 matches (W25 D9) in a run stretching back to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Colombia in a friendly in London on 22 March 2024.
- Spain have not conceded a single goal in the first half of their last eight FIFA World Cup matches.
- Spain have not conceded a goal in their last five World Cup matches, equalling the competition record set by Italy (1990) and Switzerland (2006-2010).
- Unai Simón has gone 519 minutes without conceding a goal in FIFA World Cup matches, beating Walter Zenga’s all-time record of 517 minutes from 1990.
- Portugal head coach Roberto Martínez is a Spanish native, born in Balaguer, Catalonia – though he has never been in charge of a Spanish side.
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Portugal vs Spain prediction
A lot of criticism has been levelled at the performances of Portugal, having finished second in Group K with just one win in three group games, which came against debutants Uzbekistan in between draws with Congo DR and Colombia.
Portugal have an abundance of talent but there is a view that it is being hamstrung by having to play through 41-year-old captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who does now have three goals to his name at this tournament.
Croatia wasted a lot of chances and openings against the Portuguese, which is something that Spain are unlikely to do if presented with similar situations.
Spain forcing or being given those similar situations does seem likely, too, with Portugal boss Roberto Martinez wedded to the style and a lot of the personnel that were fortunate to have not been beaten in Toronto and so backing a Spain win is the way to go for this one.
Portugal vs Spain betting tip: Spain to win
