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!