Portugal and Spain meet in one of the most fireworks-filled quarter-finals of all time – with a place in the World Cup quarter-finals at stake.
Selecao and La Roja have a rich history with each other, and on Monday evening a new chapter will be written. For Cristiano Ronaldo, it’s another opportunity to prove himself against the best – and despite hints of retirement after the tournament, he’s ready to lead Portugal into the game.
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Spain, on the other hand, are the reigning European champions – and with Lamine Yamal in great form, they are ready to write their own chapter in history.
Portugal line-up
Portugal (XI): Costa – Dias, Veiga, Cancelo, Mendes – Fernandes, Neves, Vitinha – Ronaldo, Félix, Neto
Substitutes: Sá, Silva, Semedo, Araújo, Dalot, Inácio, Costa, Nunes, Silva, Neves, Ramos, Trincão, Leão, Guedes, Conceição
Spain line-up
Spain (XI): Simón – Porro, Laporte, Cubarsí, Cucurella – Baena, Rodri, Pedri – Olmo, Yamal, Oyarzabal
Substitutes: Raya, García, Pubill, Grimaldo, García, Llorente, Merino, Ruiz, Gavi, Zubimendi, Torres, Pino, Williams, Muñoz, Iglesias
Key figures
- Spain are unbeaten in the 2026 World Cup – and have not conceded a single goal in four games
- Mikel Oyarzabal has 23 goal points in his last 16 starts for Spain
- Spain didn’t let a single shot on target against Austria in the 3-0 win
- La Roja scored three goals in a World Cup playoff match for the first time since 1994
- Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first-ever World Cup playoff goal against Croatia
- Gonçalo Ramos has an average of one goal every 37 minutes – best of the Portuguese with at least five involvements
- Both Portugal and Spain have over 60 percent possession on average in the tournament
- Spain have lost only seven of 41 previous meetings with Portugal
Our Prediction
This has all the ingredients for a classic. Portugal have enough quality to cause problems – especially with Ronaldo, Fernandes and Leão up front. But Spain have looked more balanced throughout the tournament: outstanding defensively, and with Oyarzabal, Yamal and Olmo as a constant attacking threat.
This will be close and even – but Spain has just that little extra.
Divination: Portugal 1-2 Spain
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