Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (7) reacts during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Portugal and Spain in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)Portugal vs Spain World Cup 2026 Match Today Highlights: There was no fairytale ending for Cristiano Ronaldo in the World Cup stage as his last ever campaign ended at the hands of Spain in the Round of 16 in Dallas on Monday night. Mikel Merino was the lone goal scorer of the match as he struck in the 90+1 minute to help Spain win 1-0 and advance to the quarterfinal.
Spain got the better chances but failed to breach the Portuguese resistance as the two sides went into drinks break at 0-0. In a rather subdued half in which chances came at a premium, both Spain and Portugal went into half time at 0-0 in Dallas. The closest any side came to a goal was when Nuno Mendes’ deflected shot rattled the cross bar with both teams struggling to create much.
In World Cups, this is the first time these two sides were meeting since the 2018 edition in Russia where Ronaldo singlehandedly took the game away from Spain with a hattrick in what eventually turned out to be a 3-3 draw.
FOLLOW HIGHLIGHTS FROM PORTUGAL VS SPAIN FIFA WORLD CUP MATCH BELOW.
We are way past the added minutes mark and Conceicao has been fouled. One last chance for Portugal to drag this match to extra time. Ohhhhhhh!!! Neves has headed it wide!!! And that's that. Ronaldo's last World cup campaign ends with a loss to Spain in the RO16.
Portugal throwing everything at this last attack and Bernardo Silva has climbed high but his header goes agonizingly over the bar!!
POR 0-1 ESP
6 mins of added time now and SPAIN HAVE STRUCK!!!!! Portugal are distraught!!! Merino with the goal. A quick free kick is taken and he times his run brilliantly and finishes the through ball by Torres!!
POR 0-1 ESP
We are almost at the end of regulation time with 3 minutes left. A goal from either side will seal it. If not, the prospect of Extra Time looms. Bernardo Silva now goes into the book for a reckless challenge.
POR 0-0 ESP
Conceicao and Silva is now brought in and Vitinha and Neto are off as Portugal try to grab a late goal. Spain repy with a couple of changes as well with Pedri and Olmo off and Merino and Ruiz on.
POR 0-0 ESP
Huge block by Ruben Diaz to block a stinging shot by Olmo. Lamine with the corner and that's not dealt with properly. Ferran Torres' shot gets blocked for another corner. But nothing off it as it's a hand ball by a Spanish player.
POR 0-0 ESP
Bruno finally gets into the match as a deflected shot falls to him in the penalty box. He tries a volley with his right foot but finds the side netting.
POR 0-0 ESP
Portugal have made a couple of changes with Leao and Dalot on for Felix and Cancelo. Spain have a free kick at the edge of the box now. Yamal takes it and it was dipping in front of goal and Costa takes no chances, tipping it over the bar.
POR 0-0 ESP
Baena finds a pocket of space in between the barrage of red shirts. And he tries a shot across the goalkeeper but it's very weak as the goalie makes a save. Another close chance for Spain as Porro's ball is met by no one.
POR 0-0 ESP
Back to back corners for Spain. Baena will take the latest one. And that's too close to thee keeper and Costa makes no mistakes and comes out to claim it.
POR 0-0 ESP
Joao Felix floats a ball into the Spanish box and Ronaldo has to wait for it only to see it beyond his reach. He stretches but that's gone out for a goal kick.
POR 0-0 ESP
And Portugal's worst fears have come true. Mendes is off and Semedo is on. It's a big blow for the Selecao as most of their attacks originate from that side. Semedo is good but not that quick.
POR 0-0 ESP
Porro with a throw now. What can Spain conjure? Nothing much as the ball is nicked by Portugal. But Nuno Mendes is down now. Looks like his race is run after that tackle to deny Yamal.
POR 0-0 ESP
Ronaldo makes the most of a coming together with Olmo and draws a foul and a free kick. And after two players feign taking it, the free kick is straight into the hands of Simon.
POR 0-0 ESP
We are back for the second half and Portugal start us off. Neto on his bike steams into the Spain box but gets no space and passes to Bruno whose return ball is not the best and that's gone out.
POR 0-0 ESP
Simon with what will be the last kick of the half now. He manages to find a white shirt but the effort to cross has been blocked. And the referee blows for half time. Not a lot of attacking flair in the first 45 minutes which is strange considering the players on both sides. The closest any of the two teams got to a goal was when Mendes' deflected shot hit the cross bar. Here's hoping for an improved second half.
HT: POR 0-0 ESP
6 added minutes now. Portugal have the ball and Joao Neves spots Ronaldo's run and tries to feed him the ball only for Simon to come off his line with a flash to take it into his control.
POR 0-0 ESP
Clearest chance in this match so far as Nuno Mendes lets one fly and it's deflected off Pedro Porro and beats Simon only to strike the cross bar!!! Huge let-off for Spain.
POR 0-0 ESP
Ronaldo almost finds the back of the net with his back to the goal as he tries to reach for Felix's floated ball. But Simon is alert in the goal and he dives to take the ball into his possession.
POR 0-0 ESP
Yamal with a smart pass to Dani Olmo who gets in behind the Portugal defence and tries a low cross but it's cleared away. Ball still with Spain though before Yamal loses it.
POR 0-0 ESP
Portugal seeing a lot of the ball in this match which is strange because their opponent is Spain who always have the lion's share of the possession. Spain get the ball and try to break through with Yamal but it's cut off.
POR 0-0 ESP
Free kick for Spain and Baena wil take it. It's cleared by P[ortugal only to fall at the feet of Pedro Porro which swings his laces through it but gets it all wrong as the ball flies into orbit.
POR 0-0 ESP
The match is oscillating on both sides with no team having the clear advantage. Portugal are keeping the ball while Spain are trying to press up the field and force a mistake.
POR 0-0 ESP
Ronaldo gets the ball now and he is taken away from the goal. Has a tight angle to work for now and he shoots which Simon parries away.
POR 0-0 ESP
Oyarzabal with only the goalkeeper to beat now and he has stunningly shot it way wide of the target. Was he waiting for an offside flag? Not sure but that's a horrible shot from a forward who has already scored 4 this World Cup.
POR 0-0 ESP
Portugal now steam forward with Joao Cancelo. He gets a lot of space in front of him to run at the Spanish defence. He gets space for a shot and shoots from long range and it whistles over the bar.
POR 0-0 ESP
Spain as usual keeping the ball in the early going but each Spanish player has a Portuguese shirt very close to them so not a lot of forward movement in the early stages. And Oyarzabal finds the ball at his feet and shoots but it's easy for the keeper.
POR 0-0 ESP
We are all set to begin. Spain in white and Portugal in red. Spain will kick the match away. And we are underway for this huge Round of 16 clash in Dallas.
POR 0-0 ESP
Here come the two teams out of the dug out and into the field where they'll stand near the centre circle with both countries' flags flanking them from both sides. National anthems time. Portugal's first, followed by Spain's.
In the last match against Croatia, Ronaldo found the net via spot kick which marked his first goal ever in a World Cup knockout phase. Can he double his tally against a resolute Spain team tonight?
While most teams have come into matches with Spain wondering how to contain the mercurial Lamine Yamal, Portugal have an ace up its sleeve in the form of PSG's Nuno Mendes. The two have faced 4 times, thrice in the UCL and once in the Nation's League final. Yamal just has one assist to show for from these 4 matches. (READ MORE)
With Mexico falling to England 3-2, Spain remain the only team in the World Cup to not concede a goal. Spanish goalie Unai Simon reached 519 minutes without conceding a goal in the 3-0 win vs Austria which helped him break Walter Zenga's record of staying unbeaten at 517 minutes in the 1990 World Cup.
The last time Spain and Portugal met in a competitive fixture was last year in the Nation's League final where Nuno Mendes and Cristiano Ronaldo found the net for Portugal while Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Oyarzabal scored for Spain. With the scores at 2-2, Portugal finally pipped Spain on penalties to win the title.
July 10: France vs Morocco at 1.30 AM IST
July 11: Portugal/Spain vs USA/Belgium at 12.30 AM IST
July 12: Norway vs England at 2.30 AM IST
July 12: Argentina/Egypt vs Switzerland/Colombia at 6.30 AM IST
Ahead of the match against Spain, Ronaldo was the one to represent Portugal in the pre-match press conference. The Portugal captain confirmed that this will be his last-ever World Cup and also called out journalists who didn't 'like him'. “Yes, it’s my last one. Let’s go and enjoy it,” he said.
“Let him ask a question, he doesn’t like me,” he said. The journalist then asked what was the most difficult part of playing in a World Cup at the age of 41, to which Ronaldo replied: “The most difficult part is to talk to some of you. Especially those who don’t like me. You are one of them. I just need one look at the face and I’ll remember very well.”
1930: Did not enter
1934: Quarterfinals
1938: Rejected by FIFA
1950: 4th place
1954: Did not qualify
1958: Did not qualify
1962: Group Stage
1966: Group Stage
1970: Did not qualify
1974: Did not qualify
1978: Group Stage
1982: Second Group Stage
1986: Quarterfinals
1990: Round of 16
1994: Quarterfinals
1998: Group Stage
2002: Quarterfinals
2006: Round of 16
2010: CHAMPIONS
2014: Group Stage
2018: Round of 16
2022: Round of 16
1930: Did not enter
1934: Did not qualify
1938: Did not qualify
1950: Did not qualify
1954: Did not qualify
1958: Did not qualify
1962: Did not qualify
1966: 3rd Place
1970: Did not qualify
1974: Did not qualify
1978: Did not qualify
1982: Did not qualify
1986: Group Stage
1990: Did not qualify
1994: Did not qualify
1998: Did not qualify
2002: Group Stage
2006: Fourth Place
2010: Round of 16
2014: Group Stage
2018: Round of 16
2022: Quarterfinals
Spain: Raya, Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Ruiz, Gavi, Zubimendi, Torres, Pino, Williams, Munoz, Iglesias
Portugal: Sa, Silva, Semedo, Araujo, Dalot, Inacio, Costa, Nunes, Silva, Neves, Ramos, Trincao, Leao, Guedes, Conceicao
Portugal: Costa, Dias, Veiga, Cancelo, Mendes, Fernandes, Neves, Vitinha, Ronaldo, Felix, Neto
Spain: Simon, Porro, Laporte, Cubarsi, Cucurella, Baena, Rodri, Pedri, Olmo, Yamal, Oyarzabal
Group A: Mexico, South Africa, Republic of Korea, Czechia
Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti
Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, Turkey
Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Curaçao
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde
Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, Iraq
Group J: Argentina, Austria, Algeria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, Colombia, DR Congo, Uzbekistan
Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
As Ronaldo faces Yamal in what is being dubbed as the clash of generations, with the Portuguese superstar having played his first World Cup in 2006 while the Spanish prodigy is taking his WC bow in 2026, their careers have seemingly followed a very similar path. (READ MORE FROM SANDIP G)
While Lamine Yamal has been under the limelight, another player is mostly flying unde the radar in this Spanish side and that is Mikel Oyarzabal who has already scored 4 goals in the competition. But he hasn't received even half of the attention his much more decorated teammates have but he won't mind that at all. (READ MORE)
Completed fixtures
Canada 0-3 Morocco
Paraguay 0-1 France
Brazil 1-2 Norway
Mexico 2-3 England
Upcoming fixtures
July 7: Portugal vs Spain at 12.30 AM
July 7: USA vs Belgium at 5.30 AM
July 7: Argentina vs Egypt at 9.30 PM
July 8: Switzerland vs Colombia at 1.30 AM
Spain 0-0 Cape Verde
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
Spain 1-0 Uruguay
Spain 3-0 Austria
Portugal 1-1 DR Congo
Portugal 5-0 Uzbekistan
Portugal 0-0 Colombia
Portugal 2-1 Croatia
The last time these two powerhouses met in a World Cup clash, it was a Cristiano Ronaldo show in Russia back in 2018. The Portugal megastar single-handedly demolished a strong Spanish team, scoring a hattrick with the match eventually ending at 3-3. Diego Costa scored a brace while Nacho chipped in with one goal for Spain.
POR: D,W,D, W
ESP: D,W,W,W
Portugal: Diogo Costa, José Sá, Rui Silva, Diogo Dalot (Manchester United); Matheus Nunes, Nélson Semedo, João Cancelo, Nuno Mendes, Gonçalo Inácio, Renato Veiga; Rúben Dias; Tomás Araújo, Rúben Neves, Samuel Costa, João Neves, Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, João Félix, Francisco Trincão, Francisco Conceição, Pedro Neto, Rafael Leão, Gonçalo Guedes, Gonçalo Ramos, Cristiano Ronaldo
Spain: Unai Simón, David Raya, Joan Garcia, Marc Cucurella, Alejandro Grimaldo, Pau Cubarsí, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Pubill, Eric García, Marcos Llorente, Pedro Porro, Pedri, Fabián Ruiz, Martín Zubimendi, Gavi, Rodri, Álex Baena, Mikel Merino, Mikel Oyarzabal, Dani Olmo, Nico Williams, Yéremy Pino, Ferran Torres, Borja Iglesias, Víctor Muñoz, Lamine Yamal
Matches played: 41
Spain wins: 17
Portugal wins: 6
Draws: 18
Portugal: Costa, Cancelo, Veiga, Dias, Mendes, Vitinha, Neves, Fernandes, Neto, Leão, Ronaldo
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cucurella, Laporte, Cubarsi, Pedri, Rodri, Olmo, Baena, Yamal, Oyarzabal
In one of the most mouthwatering clash of the FIFA World Cup is upon us as Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal will lock horns with Lamine Yamal's Spain in a clash of titans. Both teams are filled to the brim with megastar names but the limelight is as usual on former Real Madrid lynchpin Ronaldo as well as current Barcelona prodigy Yamal. It's a generational battles as the 41-year-old Ronaldo looks to one-up the 18-year-old Yamal with a quarterfinal spot up for grabs. Win and you advance. Lose, you go home. It's all to play for. Follow our live blog to find out who tops this battle of attrition.
All his life, Lionel Messi’s shadow has loomed over Lamine Yamal. He was just an infant when a photographer arranged a shoot wherein Messi was bathing Yamal. Years later, when he stepped into Barcelona’s La Masia Academy, he was Messi’s blessed inheritor, the wunderkind beyond his years. Every record he broke in the league was once the Argentine’s.
But in the wee hours of Tuesday in India, when Spain takes on Portugal in a World Cup knockout game, the silhouette behind Yamal will not be that of Messi. It will be of Messi’s grand rival, another great, and a voluminous record-setter in league and world football: Cristiano Ronaldo. (READ MORE)
