FIFA World Cup: How the Round of 16 goes, Portugal set for sensational showdown with Spain | Football News

Lamine Yamar and Cristiano Ronaldo

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has entered a decisive phase, with the 48 teams quickly whittled down to 16 countries as the Round of 16 gets underway this weekend. Today, every knockout game carries the weight of history, with one team achieving a dream finish and another moving closer to lifting football’s biggest prize.Thursday’s match added another heavyweight showdown to the schedule, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal pulling off a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over Croatia to set up a mouth-watering showdown with neighbors Spain.The round of 32 has already been a dramatic one, with only three games remaining before the pre-quarterfinal squads are finalized and the knockout rounds are drawing to a close.

Portugal vs Spain Top 16 headlines

Portugal’s victory over Croatia was aided by another historic performance from Ronaldo.At 41 years old, he became the oldest player in history to score a goal fifa world cup After a penalty kick in the second half, the Portuguese team advanced to the round of 16 with a 2-1 comeback. Earlier in the night, Spain easily defeated Austria 3-0 in one of the most exciting games of the World Cup.There is growing speculation that this could be Ronaldo’s final appearance at the FIFA World Cup, with the game taking on even greater significance. His sister Katia Aveiro recently described the match as the Portugal captain’s “last dance” with the national team, adding even more emotion to an already intense Iberian rivalry.Spain and Portugal have met 41 times, most of which were friendly matches. Their most recent meeting was in the 2025 UEFA Nations League final, with Ronaldo equalizing the score before a penalty shootout, with Portugal winning on penalties.While Spain came into the game as slight favorites, Portugal had the recent history and had enough experience to pull off another upset.

Knockout pictures almost complete

The Round of 16 begins on Saturday with several exciting games already confirmed.Canada will face Morocco, while France will take on Paraguay in another interesting matchup. Brazil will face Norway and England will face Mexico in their bid for a first World Cup title since 1966.Host nation the United States will take on Belgium in another high-profile match, while Switzerland will face either Colombia or Ghana, depending on the outcome of the remaining games in the round of 32.The last two places in the round of 16 will be determined after Argentina faces Cape Verde for the first time and Australia faces Egypt. The winners of these matches will compete for a spot in the quarter-finals.Confirmed Round of 16 schedule (standard):

As the knockout stages take shape, the margin for error has disappeared. Each match will produce a winner and a loser, ensuring that by next week only eight countries will remain in contention for the FIFA World Cup title.