World Cup 2026: Portugal v Spain preview | OneFootball

Portugal team photo ahead of the Croatia game. Will Roberto Martínez make changes for Spain? (Photo: FPF/Diogo Pinto)

Portugal take on Spain in Dallas, Texas, in a last-16 tie of the 2026 World Cup on Monday at 2.00pm local time (8.00pm Lisbon time).

The victors will progress to the quarter-finals where they will face the winners of the USA v Belgium match played later in the day.

Portugal coach Roberto Martínez has confirmed that there are no injury worries and he has a full squad to pick from.

“We’ve trained well and we’ve prepared well for the game,” said captain Cristiano Ronaldo in today’s pre-match press conference. “We’re going to face a tough team, but we’re ready.”

The journey so far

Portugal began the World Cup with a disappointing 1-1 draw against DR Congo, before hitting form to dispatch Uzbekistan 5-0, both games played in Houston, Texas.

Portugal’s final group game was another draw. The 0-0 result against Colombia in Miami meant a second-place finish and a trip to Toronto for a last-32 tie against Croatia, which the Seleção won after coming from behind for a 2-1 victory in a dramatic match.

The fact Portugal’s best player in the tournament so far has been goalkeeper Diogo Costa is an indication that the team has not found it’s best form as of yet. Star man Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 3 goals in 4 games.

Spain’s first game in the tournament produced a shock result as they were held to a 0-0 draw by minnows Cape Verde, although the subsequent display by the islanders shines a different light on that inauspicious opening.

Since then, it has been plain sailing for the Spaniards, beating Saudi Arabia 4-0, Uruguay 1-0 and Austria 3-0.

Head-to-head history

The Iberian neighbours are renewing a rivalry that has produced several high-profile and decisive matches this century. In tournament football the two teams have met on six occasions since Euro 2004, and there has never been more than one goal separating the teams.

The two nations have met a total of 41 times including friendlies, with Spain holding the ascendency. Spain were the first team Portugal ever played, the Seleção losing 3-1 in 1921 in Madrid, and the overall head-to-head record reads Spain 18 victories, Portugal 7 victories and 16 draws.

This record is somewhat skewed by early football history, however, with the game professionalised and developing in Spain earlier than in Portugal. Looking at the results from the 1960s onwards, Portugal have actually won more games than they have lost against Spain (5/4) with ten draws.

Predicted Portugal lineup

The game against Croatia was chaotic from Portugal’s point of view, with Roberto Martínez making multiple and unorthodox substitutions. While the fact Cristiano Ronaldo was replaced by Rúben Neves inevitably grabbed the headlines – an ultimately good substitution – few would have believed beforehand that both Bruno Fernandes and Vitinha would be removed a little over an hour into the game.

Portugal’s midfield was widely touted as the strongest in the entire tournament before World Cup 2026 kicked off, but truth be told, the João Neves-Vitinha-Bruno Fernandes trident have looked completely out of sorts in USA and Canada.

Nevertheless, Martínez is a naturally conservative coach who tends to select his trusted lieutenants, so expect the most experienced players to start.

Predicted XI: Diogo Costa; João Cancelo, Rúben Dias, Renato Veiga, Nuno Mendes; Bernardo Silva, João Neves, Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes; Rafael Leão, Cristiano Ronaldo

Quote/unquote

Portugal coach Roberto Martínez will be plotting to knock out the country of his birth in Dallas tomorrow (Photo: FPF/Diogo Pinto)

Roberto Martínez, Portugal coach: “We have a lot of respect for our opponents. Spain are a very good team with a clear idea. The two teams like to have the ball. Tomorrow, we have to defend well when we don’t have the play and control the transitions. I expect the same kind of game as the Nations League final, that finished 2-2.”

Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal captain: “We’ve trained well and we’ve prepared well for the game. We’re going to face a tough team, but we’re ready. It’s been a good experience and we’re improving. We know it’s impossible to play well every game and it’s a tough competition. You only need look at who have been knocked out to see that.”Luis de la Fuente, Spain coach: “The details will make all the difference. I watched the Nations League game from last year again because the better we know our opponents – their strengths and their weaknesses – the better prepared we will be. I think the game will be very different, although our football idea is similar; we both like to have the ball. But it’s the World Cup which is a unique opportunity.”

Unai Simón, Spain goalkeeper: “We have to focus on our game, without forgetting that Portugal beat us in the Nations League. We know we have to play a great game, without lapses in concentration. Ronaldo is not the same player he was a few years ago, but he is still lethal in the box. We have to keep him as far away from the area as possible.”