Portugal and Croatia face off in a crucial Round of 32 match at the 2026 World Cup, where Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric will look to lead their teams through to the next round. One of the most anticipated ties of the 2026 World Cup Round of 32 takes place at Toronto Stadium, where Portugal and Croatia collide in a matchup that will see Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric battling for a spot in the next round.
Portugal advanced as runners-up in Group K, opening their campaign with a goalless draw against DR Congo before bouncing back with a 5-0 rout of Uzbekistan, then closing out the group with another stalemate, this time against Colombia.
For this match, Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to start and lead the line as captain, having played every minute of the group stage and already scored twice at this tournament.
Croatia, meanwhile, secured their spot in the knockouts after a shaky start, bouncing back from an opening 4-2 defeat to England with wins over Panama and Ghana to also finish second in Group L.
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring for Portugal. (Getty Images)
For this pivotal fixture, Luka Modric is projected to start as well, continuing to run the show in midfield at 40 years old despite his manager carefully managing his minutes through the group phase.
Portugal projected lineup
Roberto Martinez is expected to lean on largely the same group that has carried Portugal through the group stage, with Ronaldo leading the attack as the focal point up top, flanked by pace and creativity out wide.
Portugal’s projected starting XI: Diogo Costa; Diogo Dalot, Ruben Dias, Goncalo Inacio, Nuno Mendes; Joao Neves, Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes; Francisco Conceicao, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafael Leao.
Croatia projected lineup
Zlatko Dalic is projected to stick with the setup that got Croatia through the group phase, with Modric orchestrating things from deep alongside Mateo Kovacic, and Ante Budimir leading the line up front.
Croatia’s projected starting XI: Dominik Livakovic; Josip Stanisic, Josip Sutalo, Josko Gvardiol, Marin Pongracic; Mateo Kovacic, Luka Modric; Nikola Vlasic, Martin Baturina, Ivan Perisic; Ante Budimir.