Portugal vs Croatia: How to watch FIFA World Cup 2026 round of 32 tie — head-to-head, match predictions

Portugal will lock horns with Croatia in what will be a faceoff between two former Real Madrid stars— Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric, at the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 32 stage in Toronto on Thursday.

This tournament is being widely considered as the international swansong for both Ronaldo and Modric. Both of these football icons will be looking to finish their international careers on a high, and undoubtedly, neither of these players would want to get knocked out.

The Ronaldo vs Modric matchup in itself makes Portugal vs Croatia an exciting contest to watch.

Portugal began their campaign with a 1-1 draw against DR Congo in their first group stage match, before Ronaldo scored twice in a thumping 5-0 win over Uzbekistan.

In their final group stage match, Portugal were held 0-0 against Colombia, which led them to finish second in their group with five points.

Croatia, on the other hand, began with a 4-2 defeat to England in their group stage opener before going on to beat Panama 1-0 and then Ghana 2-1. Luka Modric's side finished second in their group with six points from three matches.

Portugal vs Croatia match details

Portugal vs Croatia head to head

Portugal and Croatia have locked horns in a total of 10 matches in international football, with Portugal winning seven and Croatia winning just once. Two other matches have ended in draws.

Their most recent meeting came during the 2024-25 season of the UEFA Nations League, when the two teams played out a 1-1 draw in Croatia. This will be their first faceoff at the FIFA World Cup.

Portugal vs Croatia team news

Portugal: Portugal don't have any major injury concerns or suspensions for the match against Croatia. Joao Neves is expected to return to the starting XI after being rested for the Colombia game, whereas Cristiano Ronaldo will lead the attack.

Ronaldo will hope to score his first-ever goal in the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup.

Croatia: Croatia too don't have any injury concerns or suspensions. The 2018 World Cup runners-up will rely on their experienced core of Modric, Mateo Kovacic, Josko Gvardiol and Ivan Perisic.

Portugal vs Croatia prediction

According to the Opta supercomputer, Portugal are favourites to beat Croatia with a 56.2% chance of winning the match. Croatia, on the other hand, have only a 19.5% chance of winning. There is also a 24.3% chance of the match ending in a draw, which will mean extra time, and if needed, a penalty shootout.

Portugal vs Croatia live streaming details

Portugal vs Croatia predicted starting XIs

Portugal: Costa; Dalot, Dias, Inácio, Mendes; Vitinha, Neves, Bruno; Bernardo, Ronaldo, Leão.

Croatia: Livaković; Stanišić, Šutalo, Gvardiol, Sosa; Modrić, Kovačić, Sučić; Perišić, Kramarić, Baturina.