That's a wrap for our coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between Portugal and Spain. A European giant would've bowed out today, no matter what, and it's Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal who we have to bid farewell to. A really close game, chances at both ends, but Mikel Merino made the difference with a brilliant 91st-minute winning goal.

We will be back shortly with the live coverage of the Round of 16 clash between USA and Belgium. Do join us on NDTV Sports for that. Goodbye!

Spain have now gone five consecutive games without conceding a single goal at this FIFA World Cup, and now hold the record for the most consecutive minutes without conceding a goal in World Cup history, surpassing their own record! Here's Guiness World Records confirming the stat:

Spain have now surpassed the previous record for the longest time without conceding at the FIFA World Cup 🇪🇸

— Guinness World Records (@GWR) July 6, 2026

Cristiano Ronaldo has broken down in tears. It's a painful sight for football fans around the globe. Ronaldo had declared before the game that this is his last World Cup, so his dreams of lifting it could be over once and for all. 

FULL TIME! PORTUGAL ARE OUT, Cristiano Ronaldo's FIFA World Cup dream is over. Mikel Merino's late, late winner has brought Portugal's FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign to an end in the Round of 16. Spain's journey continues, they've held their nerve in a tight game and secured victory.

FT | POR 0-1 ESP

Cross in from the right wing, Bernardo Silva jumps and slams the header, but it goes just over the bar. We're past the six minutes of stoppage time, Portugal's World Cup hopes are about to be dashed.

90 6' POR 0-1 ESP

GOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLL! Spain take the lead, Mikel Merino scores in the 91st minute! Quick free-kick by Spain taken by Merino, some lovely play, Ferran Torres with the throughball to Merino who makes a brilliant run and scores with an fantastic low finish!

Five minutes left in injury time, Ronaldo's World Cup dream on the line.

90 1' POR 0-1 ESP

The midfield maestros of Spain and Portugal, Pedri and Vitinha, have been taken off. Pedri and Dani Olmo have been substituted for Mikel Merino and Fabian Ruiz, while Vitinha and Pedro Neto have come off for Bernardo Silva and Francisco Conceicao. Only a few minutes remain in regulation time.

85' POR 0-0 ESP

Patient build-up from Spain, and then Pedri creates a chance with a ball towards the box for Ferran Torres. It is a tad beyond Ferran, who tries his best to keep it in, but is unable to. Moments later, Dani Olmo, in complete space, receives the ball on the edge of the Spain box. Portugal close him down, Olmo takes the shot, but Ruben Dias makes an excellent sliding block!

78' POR 0-0 ESP

Spain get a free-kick from a tight angle on the edge of the Portugal box, on the right wing. Lamine Yamal lines up the free-kick, and he forces a save out of Diogo Costa! That was hit centrally, but Costa still had to make a save to tip it over the bar.

72' POR 0-0 ESP

Time for the first attacking substitutions of the match! Rafael Leao comes on for Joao Felix, while Diogo Dalot replaces Joao Cancelo. With the match stuck at nil-nil, Roberto Martinez has now made a couple of changes to try and take the decisive lead.

70' POR 0-0 ESP

The first decent chance for Spain in the second half. Dani Olmo cuts in from the left, leaves it for Pedri who is in space and shoots from the edge of the box. But the shot is blocked by a Portugal defender and goes well over the bar. 

61' POR 0-0 ESP

Cristiano Ronaldo drives forward, beats two defenders on the left wing, and looked to have beaten the final man, but Spain win the ball back with a brilliant sliding tackle. 

Meanwhile, a big problem for Portugal. Left-back Nuno Mendes is down injured. He receives some treatment, but isn't able to continue. Massive worry for Portugal as Mendes was playing a key role in stopping Lamine Yamal on the wing. Nelson Semedo comes on at left-back.

55' POR 0-0 ESP

Portugal launch a counter-attack down the right wing with Pedro Neto, who drives forward with pace. He fires in a low cross towards the far post, but it's just too far for Ronaldo to reach. Good stuff from Portugal at the start of the second half, but will they rue missing these chances?

51' POR 0-0 ESP

Portugal win the ball back in a dangerous area, right on the edge of the Spain box, but the chance is squandered. Joao Cancelo gets into two minds over whether to cross or shoot, and ends up putting in a half-hearted mix of both. Opportunity wasted by Portugal.

49' POR 0-0 ESP

We are back! The second half is underway in the Round of 16 match between Portugal and Spain. The hunt for the crucial opening goal is on. Will it be Portugal or will it be Spain? Here we go!

46' POR 0-0 ESP

Surely a goal is on the cards in the second half. Much like the match between Portugal and Croatia, this game could also explode in the second 45, and we could be treated to an enthralling game hereon. 

HALF TIME! The first half comes to an end in the match between Portugal and Spain in Dallas. It's all square so far. Spain missed a huge chance early on as Mikel Oyarzabal slammed his shot wide despite being one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Cristiano Ronaldo has had a couple of shots, Nuno Mendes has hit the post for Portugal, but no goal.

HT | POR 0-0 ESP

Six minutes have been added on the at the end of the first half. The Portugal-Spain match is still goalless, but there have been chances for both sides. Just as I write that, Lamine Yamal receives the ball in the box after a brilliant pass by Pedro Porro, he takes an outside-the-foot shot that goes over the bar! Yamal was offside anyway.

45 2' POR 0-0 ESP

Nuno Mendes slams the crossbar! Portugal's left-back takes a powerful shot from the edge of the box, it takes a deflection off Pedro Porro and hammers onto the crossbar. An unexpected scare for Spain, but they've survived it. Portugal gaining in momentum as the first half winds down.

41' POR 0-0 ESP

Ball towards the far post by Portugal, Joao Felix keeps it in. The ball floats up and Ronaldo tries a unique side-footed aerial flick shot, and it's towards goal, but Unai Simon recovers and makes a brilliant diving save. Possibly the biggest chance for Portugal in the match.

38' POR 0-0 ESP

A dangerous cross in towards the Portugal box by Spain, Pau Cubarsi gets a touch that is saved by Diogo Costa, but then Dani Olmo fires wide from the rebound header! Looks like Olmo was offside anyway, but another scare for Portugal nonetheless. Slowly but surely, Spain are starting to create more chances than Portugal.

30' POR 0-0 ESP

Dani Olmo attempted an incisive throughball that would've sent Lamine Yamal in on goal, but Renato Veiga denies the chance with a last-ditch sliding interception. Very important intervention from Portugal's centre-back.

29' POR 0-0 ESP

Some neat link-up play by Portugal on the right wing between Cancelo and Pedro Neto, and Cancelo takes the final shot with his left foot. It goes just wide of goal, but ultimately the flag goes up for offside. No goals yet, but there's a lot happening in this match already. Chances at both ends!

20' POR 0-0 ESP

Lamine Yamal comes on the attack for Spain down the right wing, he cuts inside and takes a curling shot but it's saved by Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa. Alex Baena takes a shot from the left on the rebound, but Costa denies Spain with another diving save. 

16' POR 0-0 ESP

Cristiano Ronaldo receives the ball on the right side of the box, does a couple of stepovers and takes a shot at the Spain goal, and wins a corner as Unai Simon makes the save. Ronaldo had no support in the box and went for the strike himself. Portugal fail to make good use of the resulting set-piece.

11' POR 0-0 ESP

Portugal right-back Joao Cancelo drives forward towards the Spain box and rifles a powerful shot at goal from outside the box, but it goes just over the bar. Moments later, Mikel Oyarzabal is sent through on goal, one-on-one against Portugal's goalkeeper, but he fires it wide! The flag stayed down, that's a huge miss!

8' POR 0-0 ESP

WE ARE LIVE! The FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between Portugal and Spain is underway in Dallas. Spain in all-white, Portugal in their classic maroon jerseys. Spain kick off, they're attacking from left to right in the first half.

1' POR 0-0 ESP

The national anthems are done, and now it's time for David Guetta and Sia's 'Titanium' to ring around the Dallas Stadium. That's the signal that the football action is about to begin. The Iberian rivalry, a clash between two modern European footballing giants. Here we go!

Here come the players! Cristiano Ronaldo leads Portugal, Rodri leads Spain, as the players walk out onto the turf at Dallas Stadium. Time for the national anthems, and then, live action! Stay tuned, this is the biggest match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 so far!

Needless to say that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lamine Yamal are the standout players that everyone will have their eyes on. But there are some more players to watch out for. Bruno Fernandes is yet to take the tournament by storm, and will hope to find his groove for today's match. Spain striker Mikel Oyarzabal has four goals so far in the World Cup, and is a surprise contender in the Golden Boot race.

A mouth-watering midfield battle is on the cards between Pedri and Vitinha. And keep an eye on the left-backs: Nuno Mendes and Marc Cucurella are arguably the two best in their position in the world.

We are just about half an hour away from kickoff in the Portugal-Spain Round of 16 match. A packed-out Dallas Stadium is expected, but it will be interesting to see which of these two European heavyweights get more support. Spain, ranked third in the FIFA rankings, take on Portugal, ranked seventh. This will be a classic!

The last time Portugal and Spain faced off in the FIFA World Cup was in the group stage of the 2018 edition. On that day, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a sensational hattrick in a memorable 3-3 draw. Can CR7 replicate those heroics today?

The winner of the Portugal-Spain Round of 16 match will face co-hosts USA or Belgium in the quarter-finals of FIFA World Cup 2026. USA take on Belgium later today, in a match that has been in the news well before kickoff due to the red card drama surounding USA striker Folarin Balogun.

Perhaps the most fascinating battle of the game will be the one between Lamine Yamal and Nuno Mendes. Yamal is arguably the world's best right-winger, while Mendes is widely regarded as the best left-back in the world. The last time these two faced off in international football, Mendes won the battle, as Portugal beat Spain in the UEFA Nations League final.

Lamine Yamal is already one of the best players in world football, but it is easy to forget that he's still only 18. If Yamal scores today against Portugal, he will become the youngest player to score a FIFA World Cup knockout goal in the 21st century, and third youngest all-time, behind Brazil icon Pele and former Ballon d'Or winner Michael Owen.

Ronaldo's statement over this being his last FIFA World Cup has once again fuelled speculation over his retirement, particularly on social media. Ronaldo continues to chase the record of being the first player to score 1,000 official goals, but if this does prove to be his last World Cup, there is also a chance that he announces his retirement from international football.

The omission of Rafael Leao from Portugal's starting lineup is certainly a surprise. Leao played the entire match against Croatia in the Round of 16, and also assisted the winning goal with a brilliant cross. He also came close to scoring with a long-range effort, hitting the post. But today he has been left out for Joao Felix!

Portugal XI vs Spain: Here's the Portugal starting XI selected by Roberto Martinez for the Round of 16 match against Spain today. A massive change: Rafael Leao has been dropped, Joao Felix starts on the left. Ronaldo up top, Pedro Neto on the right wing. Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha and Joao Neves in midfield.

O para o jogo contra a Espanha no Mundial 2026 #VaiDarPortugal | #PORESP #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/HTQ8UlSzgg

— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) July 6, 2026

Spain XI vs Portugal: Here's the Spain starting XI selected by Luis de la Fuente for the Round of 16 match against Portugal today. It's an identical lineup to the one that started against Austria in the Round of 32. Dani Olmo starts in midfield with Pedri and Rodri, while it's an attack of Lamine Yamal, Mikel Oyarzabal and Alex Baena.

OFICIAL | Nuestro once ante Portugal.#VamosEspana | #CopaMundialFIFA pic.twitter.com/QGEAZErJSI

— Seleccion Espanola Masculina de Futbol (@SEFutbol) July 6, 2026

Despite being one of the favourites, Portugal's FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign has been quite rocky. They started off with a draw against DR Congo, then a 5-0 win over Uzbekistan reinstilled their vigour. Then followed a 0-0 draw against Colombia, which meant that Portugal only finished second in Group K. 

In the Round of 32 clash, Portugal faced a huge scare against Croatia, even going down a goal. But Ronaldo converted a penalty, and his substitute Goncalo Ramos slammed a dramatic injury time goal, to secure Portugal's spot in the next stage.

Cristiano Ronaldo needs one goal to become the oldest-ever player to score in back-to-back knockout games in FIFA World Cup history. He already became the World Cup's oldest knockout goalscorer with his penalty goal against Croatia, and now he can add another layer to that record.

"This is my last World Cup," confirmed Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Portugal's Round of 16 match against Spain. It's an announcement that means that today could be his last-ever World Cup game if Portugal end up losing. Ronaldo has three goals so far in the tournament, but can he keep his World Cup dream alive?

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between Portugal and Spain. This is arguably the most high-profile match of the World Cup so far, as two European giants and Iberian rivals go head-to-head. Stay tuned to NDTV Sports for all the live updates from the match!