Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric both start as Portugal face Croatia in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 in Toronto. Confirmed lineups, how to watch free, tactical preview and why this match is unlike any other at the tournament.
FIFA World Cup 2026 | Round of 32 | Author: Hemim Sk | Toronto Stadium (BMO Field), Toronto, Canada
Portugal vs Croatia
Kick-off: 7:00 PM ET / 12:00 AM BST (July 3) | 9:00 AM AEST
Winner faces: Spain in the Round of 16, Monday July 6, Dallas
Kick-off 7:00 PM ET, Thursday July 2, 2026 at Toronto Stadium (BMO Field), Toronto, Canada.
There is a moment in every great footballer’s career where the countdown becomes impossible to ignore. You don’t always know which game is the last one. That’s what makes it unbearable to watch and impossible to look away from.
Tonight in Toronto, two of the greatest midfielders and biggest personalities in the history of the sport take the pitch in a World Cup knockout match with everything at stake. Cristiano Ronaldo, 41. Luka Modric, 40. Between them, over 700 international appearances. Between them, four Ballon d’Or awards. Between them, a Real Madrid career spent as teammates, rivals and mutual admirers.
One of them will not play in a World Cup again after tonight. The question — and it is entirely genuine — is which one.
Portugal: Confirmed Lineup, Confirmed Problems
Roberto Martinez has named his strongest available side for what represents Portugal’s most significant match of the tournament so far.
Portugal (4-3-3):
GK: Diogo Costa
RB: João Cancelo | CB: Rúben Dias | CB: Renato Veiga | LB: Nuno Mendes
CM: João Neves | CM: Vitinha | CM: Bruno Fernandes
RW: Pedro Neto | ST: Cristiano Ronaldo (C) | LW: Rafael Leão
The names on the team sheet are breathtaking. The form that has produced those names is considerably more complicated.
Portugal won just one of three group stage matches — a 5-0 dismissal of Uzbekistan sandwiched between a draw against DR Congo and a stalemate with Colombia. Ronaldo, who arrived at this World Cup having scored 28 goals for Al-Nassr last season, has found the net twice — both against Uzbekistan. In the other two matches, he recorded zero goals, zero assists, and was caught offside 11 times combined, the highest tally of any player at this tournament.
Bernardo Silva, controversially dropped to the bench, used words this week that were carefully chosen but carried obvious weight when asked about his omission: “We are a group and we came for the same thing. The coach has a difficult job.” Between the lines: something isn’t quite right.
And yet — the talent is undeniable. Bruno Fernandes has been Portugal’s most consistently dangerous player. Rafael Leão offers the pace and directness to isolate any right-back in the tournament. Pedro Neto, on the opposite flank, gives Portugal a width that Croatia’s defensive structure will struggle to contain for 90 minutes. The attacking potential is there. It simply hasn’t clicked consistently enough.
Croatia: Confirmed Lineup, Brilliant Resilience
Zlatko Dalic has named a Croatia side built on exactly the experience and resilience you’d expect from a team that reached the World Cup final in 2018 and the semi-finals in 2022.
Croatia (4-3-3):
GK: Dominik Livaković
RB: Josip Stanišić | CB: Josip Šutalo | CB: Marin Pongračić | LB: Ivan Perišić
CM: Mateo Kovačić | CM: Luka Modrić (C) | CM: Petar Sučić
RW: Nikola Vlašić | ST: Ante Budimir | LW: Martin Baturina
Modrić — confirmed as the oldest player to provide an assist in World Cup history, aged 40 years and 291 days, after his assist for Croatia’s winner against Ghana — is the architect of everything Croatia do. On his 200th international cap during the group stage, he became only the fourth player in football history to reach that landmark. The calendar doesn’t seem to apply to him.
Croatia’s tournament has been a very familiar tale. They were battered 4-2 by England in their opener, conceding twice to Harry Kane. Then, without fanfare, they simply won their next two matches — 1-0 against Panama, 2-1 against Ghana — and qualified. They have done this before. This is what Croatia do. They absorb early adversity and find a way through.
The concern heading into tonight is defensive. Šutalo and Pongračić at centre-back will face Leão and Neto’s pace — and Croatia’s backline, while organised, has already shown it can be penetrated by quality wide attacks when the press doesn’t work from the front.
The Record Ronaldo Hasn’t Broken — And Why Tonight Matters
Here is the extraordinary number that nobody talks about enough when it comes to Cristiano Ronaldo at the World Cup: he has never scored in a knockout match for Portugal.
Not once. Nine World Cup knockout appearances across five tournaments. Zero goals.
His 10 World Cup goals in total have all arrived in the group stage — including his famous hat-trick against Spain in 2018, all three group-stage goals in Qatar in 2022, and his two against Uzbekistan this year. The moment it becomes knockout football, Ronaldo’s World Cup record shows a blank where others might expect a filled space.
He is, by any measure, one of the greatest scorers in the history of the sport. 907 career goals. Records in every competition he has played in. But a World Cup knockout goal has eluded him across 25 appearances at the tournament. Tonight, against Croatia, is the next opportunity to change that.
Tactical Breakdown: Where This Match Will Be Won
The central battle is in midfield. Portugal’s press-resistant triangle of Neves, Vitinha and Fernandes against Modrić and Kovačić — between them over 300 international caps — is the contest that defines everything else.
If Portugal win that battle, Leão and Neto get the ball in space and Croatia’s backline will crack under sustained wide pressure. If Modrić and Kovačić dictate tempo, Croatia can build patiently and look for Budimir’s physicality as an outlet.
The wider context: Portugal’s depth off the bench is significant. João Félix, Bernardo Silva, Francisco Conceição and Diogo Jota are all available as impact substitutes — a collection of talent that no manager would complain about having available in extra time. Croatia’s bench is more limited in pure attacking quality.
The set-piece battle is also worth watching closely. Bruno Fernandes delivers corners and free-kicks with dangerous precision. Rúben Dias in the air at both ends is a considerable weapon. Croatia will need Livaković — the goalkeeper who saved two penalties against Brazil in 2022 — at his best if this goes to the wire.
How to Watch Portugal vs Croatia for Free
| Region | Free Channel | Stream |
|---|---|---|
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | BBC One | BBC iPlayer (free) |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | SBS | SBS On Demand (free) |
| 🇵🇹 Portugal | RTP1 | RTP Play (free) |
| 🇭🇷 Croatia | HRT1 | HRT app |
| 🇺🇸 USA | Fox / Telemundo | Fubo TV (trial) |
| 🇮🇳 India | JioTV | Zee5 |
UK fans: BBC One is showing this match live and free. BBC iPlayer stream also available on all devices. Kick-off is midnight BST — worth staying up for. Australian fans: SBS On Demand streams every World Cup match completely free. This one kicks off at 9:00 AM AEST on Friday — breakfast viewing with genuine drama.
Our Prediction
Portugal carry more individual attacking quality and significantly better squad depth. Croatia carry the tournament experience, the Modrić factor, and the psychological resolve of a team that has been in two consecutive World Cup finals and semi-finals.
Expect Portugal to dominate possession and create the better chances, but don’t expect this to be easy until the second half. If Ronaldo finally ends his World Cup knockout drought tonight, Portugal win comfortably. If he doesn’t, this could go deep into extra time.
Portugal 2-1 Croatia — Bruno Fernandes with the decisive contribution, and Ronaldo finally writing his name in a World Cup knockout match.
But watch Modrić. He has ended World Cup campaigns for better teams than Portugal before.
Need To Know
Q: Is Cristiano Ronaldo playing tonight?
A: Yes — Ronaldo is confirmed in Portugal’s starting XI against Croatia.
Q: Is Luka Modric playing tonight?
A: Yes — Modric captains Croatia from central midfield.
Q: What time is Portugal vs Croatia?
A: Kick-off is 7:00 PM ET on Thursday July 2 / midnight BST / 9:00 AM AEST Friday July 3.
Q: Where is Portugal vs Croatia being played?
A: Toronto Stadium (BMO Field) in Toronto, Canada — the last World Cup 2026 match to be played in Toronto.
Q: Has Cristiano Ronaldo ever scored in a World Cup knockout match?
A: No — in nine previous World Cup knockout appearances, Ronaldo has never scored. All 10 of his World Cup goals have come in the group stage.
Q: Who wins the Portugal vs Croatia match goes on to face?
A: Spain in the Round of 16, on Monday July 6 in Dallas.
Q: What is Luka Modric’s World Cup record?
A: He led Croatia to the final in 2018 and the semi-finals in 2022. He has appeared at four World Cups and recently became the oldest player to provide an assist in World Cup history at 40 years old.
Q: Is this free to watch in the UK?
A: Yes — live and free on BBC One, with simultaneous streaming on BBC iPlayer.
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