Ronaldo, Portugal vs. Croatia Top Storylines, Odds, Live Stream for World Cup 2026

Two European giants square off in Toronto on Thursday in what could be the best game of the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal take on Luka Modric and Croatia in a game that seems more fitting for a quarterfinal or semifinal than an opener in the knockout round.

Portugal took second in Group K behind Colombia. It only scored one goal against Colombia and DR Congo, who both advanced to the knockout round. Five of its six goals came against last-place Uzbekistan.

Croatia battled to earn second place in Group L behind England. The 4-2 loss to England was more of an outlier to Croatia's group-stage form. It allowed just one goal against Ghana and Panama.

Croatia has a ton of experience from knockout-round soccer in the last decade, so it will provide a huge challenge to Portugal in Ronaldo's last effort to win the World Cup.

Match Info and Odds

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Date: Thursday, July 2

Start Time: 7 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Live Stream: Fox One and FoxSports.com

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook:

To Qualify For Next Round: Portugal (-290; bet $290 to win $100); Croatia (+220; bet $100 to win $220)

90-Minute Money Line: Portugal (-130); Croatia (+400); Draw (+240)

Pressure on Portugal to Deliver in Knockout Round

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Portugal has all the pressure on it going into the knockout round.

Cristiano Ronaldo has not won a World Cup like Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe have.

Portugal advanced to the quarterfinals once at the World Cup since its fourth-place finish in 2006.

Ronaldo and Co. did win Euro 2016, but success at the World Cup level escaped them.

Even getting to the quarterfinals this time around will be tough. A win over Croatia likely sets up a round-of-16 battle with Spain.

Ronaldo has never scored in the World Cup knockout round. He'll be the center of attention once again as Portugal tries to get past one of its European rivals.

Outside of the five-goal outburst against Uzbekistan, Portugal's attack hasn't looked great, which is why there's plenty of reason for concern about Portugal's ability to hang around in the tournament.

Portugal failed to score against Colombia in a game that was controlled by the South American side. DR Congo's defensive block limited Portugal to seven total shots.

The attacking performance against a quality opponent must be much better for Portugal to get out of the round of 32.

Croatia In Search Of Another Deep World Cup Run

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Croatia is in search of its third straight World Cup semifinal appearance.

Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic and Co. know how to navigate a knockout round more than Portugal.

Four years ago, Croatia beat Japan and Brazil on penalties before it lost to Argentina in the semifinals.

Eight years ago, Croatia made the World Cup final with a run that included two wins on penalties and an extra-time triumph over England.

This as battle-tested of a unit as you'll see outside of the top favorites to win the tournament.

Croatia will frustrate Portugal and it has the quality moving forward, like by Modric and Ante Budimir, to take the lead in a pinch.

No one would be surprised if Croatia moves on to face Spain.

If it does, goalie Dominik Livakovic will likely play a big role. He made seven saves against England and is more than capable of shutting out Ronaldo and Co.