Portugal starting lineup vs Spain confirmed for FIFA World Cup 2026 match

Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. will look to reach the World Cup quarter-finals in back-to-back editions.

Portugal take on Spain in an exciting Round of 16 clash in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on July 6. The Selecao das Quinas survived a scare in their last-32 clash against Croatia to clinch a 3-2 win, and will be looking to repeat the trick against their former world champion opponents tonight.

After opening their campaign with a disappointing 1-1 draw with DR Congo, Roberto Martinez’s side sprang back to life in a 5-0 thrashing of Uzbekistan, where Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice. However, they followed it up with a goalless draw against Colombia.

In the Round of 32, they went down to Croatia after a goal by Ivan Perisic, which was cancelled out by a penalty from Ronaldo. Only a stoppage-time header from substitute Goncalo Ramos sealed the Selecao’s place in the quarter-finals, where they will face another huge challenge.

Also Read: Will Cristiano Ronaldo play tonight for Portugal vs Spain?

Let’s look at the Portugal confirmed lineup for the FIFA World Cup 2026 match against Spain:

Portugal (4-2-3-1): Diogo Costa; Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Renato Veiga, Nuno Mendes; Joao Neves, Vitinha; Pedro Neto, Bruno Fernandes, Joao Felix; Cristiano Ronaldo (c).

Substitutes: Jose Sa (gk), Rui Silva (gk), Tomas Araujo, Francisco Conceicao, Diogo Dalot, Goncalo Guedes, Goncalo Inaco, Rafael Leao, Ruben Neves, Matheus Nunes, Goncalo Ramos, Samu Costa, Nelson Semedo, Bernardo Silva, Francisco Trincao.

Thoughts on the lineup

With no fresh injuries to contend with, Martinez has no reason to tinker with his winning combination. Diogo Costa has been superb between the sticks and starts tonight, and in front of him is the ever-present centre-back pairing of Ruben Dias and Renato Veiga. Joao Cancelo and Nuno Mendes start as full-backs.

The Paris Saint-Germain teammates, Joao Neves and Vitinha, are crucial for the Selecao in the middle of the park and will be tasked with linking up their forward runs and disrupting the Spanish attack. Bruno Fernandes starts in an advanced role.

Ronaldo, who finally broke his World Cup knockout scoring duck against Croatia, starts up front as the team’s lone striker. Despite being brilliant in the last match, Rafael Leao is dropped to the bench. Joao Felix starts in his place and is joined by Pedro Neto on the right wing.

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