Portugal ’s failure to win their group could cost them dear as they now have to face arguably the toughest route to World Cup glory of any of the would-be champions. First up in the knockout stages for the Portugal World Cup 2026 team is a last-32 clash with a hugely experienced Croatia side who finished runners-up in 2018 and third in 2022.
Should they get through that, Portugal will likely come up against European champions Spain in the last 16 , while World Cup favourites France and African champions Morocco are also in their side of the draw . Portugal may feel relieved that Germany and the Netherlands are no longer potential quarter-final opponents but their unexpected early exits should also sharpen minds in Roberto Martinez’s squad.
And our opening Portugal vs Croatia prediction is for the Portuguese to qualify in normal time @ 3/4 .
Betting Odds
Portugal vs Croatia Betting Odds – 2026 World Cup Round of 32
Result | Odds | Chance |
|---|---|---|
Portugal | 8/11 | 57.9% |
Croatia | 15/4 | 21.1% |
Draw | 5/2 | 28.6% |
*Odds are correct at the time of writing, but subject to change.
Portugal are 8/11 favourites to beat Croatia , who are 15/4 for the win, with the draw at 5/2.
How to Watch
How to watch Portugal vs Croatia
The World Cup round of 32 is scheduled to begin at 00.00 BST on Friday and will be shown live on BBC1 .
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Predicted Starting XIs
Predicted Lineups
Portugal Predicted XI
Croatia Predicted XI
Form Guides
Portugal form guide
Expectations were high this could finally be Portugal’s year, with a high-quality squad seemingly primed to help record-breaking captain Cristiano Ronaldo go out on a high in his final World Cup . But the 2025 Nations League winners have been left with more questions than answers after an underwhelming group stage which saw them held by DR Congo and Colombia either side of a 5-0 thrashing of debutants Uzbekistan .
That meant they finished two points behind group winners Colombia who, in contrast to the difficult Portugal World Cup pathway, will now face Ghana in the last 32 and either Switzerland or Algeria in the last 16 if they get that far. Portugal’s struggles have again seen Ronaldo’s role come under scrutiny, with the 41-year-old scoring twice against Uzbekistan but not having the same impact on the tournament as fellow superstars Lionel Messi , Kylian Mbappe , Erling Haaland and Vinicius Junior .
You can never write off the five-time Ballon d’Or winner though and odds of 11/2 for Ronaldo to score at least twice against Croatia is worth considering. But we’re going for Portugal to win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1 @ 15/8 in our World Cup tips today .
Croatia form guide
Croatia were swept aside by England in the second half of their Group L opener , ultimately going down 4-2, but otherwise they have looked in decent touch. They beat Panama 1-0 and Ghana 2-1 and for a while were heading for top spot until England finally managed to break down Panama in their group finale.
Second place means Croatia have, on paper, a trickier pathway now and we cannot see them repeating their success from the last two World Cups . However, they are sure to give Portugal a run for their money in what could well be the last World Cup outing for the likes of Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic , and 15/8 for Croatia to win either half is tempting.
Somewhat surprisingly considering the attacking talent in both squads, Croatia and Portugal have only produced 23 shots on target between them so far - France have had 34 on their own - so goals may be at a premium in Toronto . In our World Cup tips today , we’re going for under 2.5 goals in total @ 3/4 .
Betting Tips
Portugal vs Croatia Betting Tips – World Cup Round of 32
Portugal to qualify in normal time @ 3/4
Portugal to win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1 @ 15/8
Under 2.5 goals in total @ 3/4
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