Portugal vs Spain FIFA World Cup 2026
The Iberian derby between Portugaland Spain dates back over 100 years. It began six days before Christmas in 1921 when the neighbours took the field in Madrid for a friendly which Spain won by three goals to one. Since that opening exchange, La Roja and the Seleção das Quinas have faced off 41 times: 29 friendlies and 12 competitive matches. The neighbours are set to go head-to-head once again, this time in the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ after Portugal defeated Croatia and Spain cruised past Austria in the Round of 32.
Ahead of Spain and Portugal’s Round of 16 matchup in Dallas on 6 July, FIFA is taking a walk down memory lane, looking at six of the best matches between the two European heavyweights.
Spain opened the scoring through Martin Zubimendi, Portugal hit back moments later through Nuno Mendes. Mikel Oyarzabal fired home La Roja’s second before the end of the first half, but Cristiano Ronaldo levelled for Portugal after the break. The game seesawed back and forth with Spain dominating possession
and Portugal defending determinedly. Neither side could find a winner in regulation or extra time despite their best efforts and so the match went to penalties.
Portugal elected to shoot first and it proved a wise choice. Goncalo Ramos, Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes, Nuno Mendes and Ruben Neves all converted their penalties. Spain substitute Alvaro Morata missed La Roja’s fourth and final penalty as Portugal secured the UEFA Nations League crown in dramatic fashion.
Substitute Mikel Merino scored a late winner to put Spain in the quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory over Portugal and end Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup career.
The European champions will face the United States - the only one of the co-hosts remaining - or Belgium on Friday in Los Angeles.
In front of an expectant crowd of 70,649 at the air-conditioned home of the Dallas Cowboys, a match that on paper promised so much failed to really deliver.
Extra time looked certain, before fellow substitute Ferran Torres slipped in Merino to settle the contest in the first minute of injury time.
It meant a sour final World Cup match for the 41-year-old Ronaldo, now playing in Saudi Arabia, having confirmed on the eve of the encounter that this would be his last dance on football's biggest stage.
The neighbours came into the contest both unbeaten, but while Portugal had not been entirely convincing, Spain had not even conceded a goal in the tournament.
One of the pre-tournament favourites, they still haven't.For all their pedigree, talent and history, Spain have only lifted the World Cup once, in 2010, while Portugal's best was third place in 1966.In Ronaldo and Spain's 18-year-old Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal, the last-16 showdown was touted as a showcase of two extraordinary talents at opposite ends of their careers.There was a sombre moment shortly before kickoff when a black-and-white image of the late Portugal forward Diogo Jota flashed up on the giant screen that looms over the field.
The World Cup in Russia was a shot at redemption for Spain and Portugal as both sides had exited the tournament at the group stage four years earlier. With expectations high for both sides going into the tournament, the opening match of Group B didn’t disappoint.
The European champions’ bright start continued but they were unable to find a way past Costa, with the Portugal goalkeeper first pushing Lamine Yamal’s curling effort to safety before springing quickly back to his feet to tip Álex Baena’s shot behind.
Ronaldo then saw his instinctive volley after good work from João Félix kept out by Unai Simón before Nuno Mendes’ stinging drive following a short corner routine deflected off the head of Pedro Porro and cannoned against the crossbar.
Mendes, who had done brilliantly to nullify the threat of Yamal, was forced off with an injury in the 56th minute, and the Spain star was able to get away from his replacement Nelson Semedo which led to Baena testing Costa.
Yamal then saw a free-kick saved over the crossbar before Bruno Fernandes rifled against the side-netting as a low-key second half appeared set to go to extra time, but having replaced Olmo six minutes earlier, Merino popped up with a late intervention.
Fellow substitute Ferran Torres turned on Rodri’s pass and cleverly slipped in Merino, who took his time before coolly slotting past Costa and into the bottom-left corner to land the decisive blow and dump Portugal out of the competition.
Ahead of kick-off, Ronaldo said he would not be retiring from professional football but did confirm that this would be his final World Cup with Portugal, but his hopes of landing that elusive piece of international silverware once again slipped through his grasp in North America.
Ronaldo leaves a legacy behind in the tournament, though. He is the second player to start 25 World Cup games, after Lionel Messi (27), while across his record-breaking six outings at the tournament, he managed 11 goals and two assists, though he never finished higher than fourth place.
Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring from the penalty spot after being brought down by club-mate Nacho. Diego Costa equalised for Spain, before Portugal’s talisman reinstated the Seleção das Quinas’ lead before the half. After the break, Costa equalised once again before Nacho scored one of the goals of the tournament, a slicing half-volley from the edge of the penalty area, that provide unstoppable.
But the game wasn’t over. With just minutes to play, Gerard Pique brought down Ronaldo, who scored a curling free-kick to secure a point for Portugal and claim his first World Cup hat-trick. Unfortunately, the tournament petered out for both nations, with Spain losing on penalties in the last 16 to hosts Russia and Portugal going down to an Edinson Cavani-inspired Uruguay 2-1 despite dominating the majority of the match.
Spain’s road to retaining their European title in 2012 had to go through Portugal. The semi-final between the neighbours was not a classic display of either side’s skillset, but rather a fierce battle to determine who would have the chance to play Italy.
Spain’s possession tested Portugal over and over again, but the Seleção das Quinas’ defence refused to break. First, Alvaro Arbeloa fired over the crossbar, and after a rapid counterattack stemming from a Portuguese attacking free kick, Andres Iniesta did the same. Cristiano Ronaldo left Iker Casillas for dead, but his blazing shot went just the wrong side of the post, and the game ended 0-0 after the regulation 90.
Extra time couldn't provide a winner, and the sides went to penalties. Infamously, Ronaldo was set to take his side’s final penalty only to be denied the chance of shooting after both Joao Moutinho and Bruno Alves missed theirs.
Despite Cristiano Ronaldo entering the World Cup having scored 33 goals and notched 10 assists in his debut season with Real Madrid, South Africa proved to be La Roja’s crowning moment. To lift the World Cup for the first time, Spain had to go through their neighbours.
La Roja dominated possession in the last 16 match-up, limiting Portugal and a semi-fit Ronaldo to a handful of chances. After Fernando Llorente replaced Fernando Torres, Spain were able to open up more space for their lethal frontman, David Villa. Just after the hour mark, Xavi picked out Villa, and the Asturian fired toward the Portuguese goal. His initial shot was well saved by Eduardo, but the Spain forward was first to the rebound, lifting it into the roof of the net and securing Spain’s passage to the quarter-final.
Portugal hosted EURO 2004, and despite an astonishing opening-match defeat to unfancied Greece, there was much expectation around a side that had Luis Figo, Rui Costa, Deco, Ricardo Carvalho, and a young Cristiano Ronaldo.
Portugal recovered after their defeat, beating Russia comfortably and Spain entered the match having beaten Russia 1-0 and drawn with Greece. Both teams needed three points to qualify for the knockout stage and it was the hosts would come away happy.
In front of a packed house at the Jose Alvalade Stadium, second-half substitute Nino Gomes made the difference. The Benfica striker netted from 20 yards to secure Portugal’s first-ever victory over Spain in a competitive match and send them through as group winners. Spain were eliminated, having scored fewer goals than eventual champions Greece.
In one of their earliest meetings, Spain handed Portugal one of their heaviest-ever defeats. Playing in front of 50,000 fans at what is now the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, La Roja put nine unanswered goals past their neighbours. Eduardo Gonzalez opened the scoring in the third minute, and Basque forward Isidro Langara scored twice in two minutes to send Spain into the break three goals ahead.
In the second half, the floodgates opened. Langara scored a second-half hat-trick, netting five in total as Martin Ventolra and Luis Regueiro added three others to complete the rout. A week later, the two sides played the second leg in Lisbon. Although a mere formality, Spain also won this fixture, netting twice in the first half to win 2-1.
Spain defeated Portugal 1-0 on Monday, July 6, to end Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup dream and reach the quarter-finals.
Spanish substitute Mikel Merino coolly slotted the winner in the first minute of stoppage time to seal victory in a dour contest between the two Iberian football rivals at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The Spanish victory sends the 2010 champions into a quarter-final on Friday against either the United States or Belgium, who meet in Seattle later on Monday.
The defeat marked a sad farewell to the World Cup for Portugal captain Ronaldo, the 41-year-old superstar playing in his sixth edition of the tournament.
Former Manchester United and Real Madrid star Ronaldo, who has struggled to reproduce his best form during a challenging campaign in the United States, had long dreamed of adding a World Cup winners medal to his collection of honors amassed over a career that has straddled three decades. But the striker was rarely more than a peripheral figure in a performance that saw Portugal muster just two shots on target, compared to Spain's six.
European champions Spain struggled to break down the Portuguese, but finally took the lead in stoppage time, Merino latching on to a through ball from a quick free kick and prodding a low finish past Diogo Costa.
Posted on 2026/07/07 09:33 AM