A place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals is on the line as fierce Iberian rivals Portugal and Spain go head-to-head in the standout Round of 16 fixture at the AT&T Stadium on Monday.
Portugal booked their place after surviving a dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia, with Roberto Martínez’s side overcoming a late scare to keep their World Cup dream alive. Cristiano Ronaldo was among the goals before watching nervously from the bench as Portugal held on to secure qualification.
Spain, meanwhile, produced one of the most convincing performances of the knockout stage, sweeping aside Austria 3-0 to continue their impressive tournament under Luis de la Fuente.
The reigning European champions have yet to concede a goal at the World Cup and will head into the clash full of confidence as they seek to reach the last eight.
With two of Europe’s footballing giants battling for a place in the quarter-finals, Monday’s showdown promises to be one of the biggest and most eagerly anticipated matches of the tournament so far.
Team News
Ronaldo was less than impressed at his early withdrawal, which came after the Al-Nassr star finally scored a first-ever World Cup knockout goal and before Ramos maintained his astounding major tournament ratio.
On Spain’s end, none of Lamine Yamal, Porro, Dani Olmo or Aymeric Laporte trained fully on Friday, but none is said to be carrying a serious issue; rather their workloads were being managed.
Possible lineups
Portugal possible starting lineup:
Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Veiga, Mendes; Vitinha, Neves; Neto, Fernandes, Leao; Ronaldo
Spain possible starting lineup:
Simon; Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Baena; Oyarzabal
How to Watch
| Platform | Details |
|---|---|
| TV Broadcast | SuperSport |
| Live Stream | DSTV stream |
| Kick-off Time | 20:00 (WAT) |
Match Predictions
Softfootball predicts Portugal 1-2 Spain
