Skip to main content
SI

Portugal vs. Croatia—World Cup: Live Score and Match Stats

The 84th match of the 2026 World Cup is a clash of two European heavyweights.
Toby Cudworth|
Portugal or Croatia could be on a collision course with Spain.
Portugal or Croatia could be on a collision course with Spain. | Visionhaus/Kristian Skeie/UEFA/Getty Images (Portugal, Croatia), Vaughn Ridley/FIFA/Getty Images (BMO Field)

Make no mistake: Portugal versus Croatia in the Round of 32 at the World Cup is a huge fixture, but both sides arrive short of their best.

Portugal is unbeaten but has only just navigated its group, drawing with DR Congo and Colombia while beating Uzbekistan, with Roberto Martínez’s side appearing constrained by its continued reliance on an aging Cristiano Ronaldo. Croatia also looks past its peak, with a veteran squad that lost to England before scraping past Panama and Ghana.

The numbers are tight: Portugal has scored six goals to Croatia’s five, with xG of 3.57 and 2.24 respectively. Croatia, however, edges conversion rate (21% to 16%), while possession leans slightly toward Portugal at 55% to 49%.

With little to separate them, it sets up a finely balanced contest—though Portugal has won seven of their 10 previous meetings.

Live Match Tracker

Match Momentum

Match Stats

Lineups

Match Summary

READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC

Add us as a preferred source on Google
Published | Modified
Toby Cudworth
TOBY CUDWORTH

Toby Cudworth is Lead Editor for SI FC. A Premier League, EFL and UEFA accredited journalist, Cudworth is a graduate of the University of Gloucestershire, where he studied Broadcast Journalism. He previously worked for 90min as a writer, academy manager, editor and eventually content lead, before joining Sports Illustrated in May 2025. A lifelong supporter of West Ham United, he still can’t quite believe they won a European trophy and feels nature is healing now that results have slipped back into the yo-yo patterns of the last 30 years.

Home/Soccer