- Recent form: Portugal have won 3 of their last 4 matches in all competitions, drawing the other 1.
- Form: Spain have won 4 and drawn 1 of their last 5 in all competitions and are on a 3-game winning streak in all games.
- Recent run: Spain are unbeaten in their last 3 away matches, winning 3 and scoring 8 goals.
Knockout kings from the Iberian Peninsula meet in Dallas
Match overview:
Portugal and Spain both looked like they have what it takes to win the FIFA World Cup 2026 in their first 2 knockout stage matches, beating Croatia 2-1 and Austria 3-0 respectively, and now the two Iberian giants must play a match that could be played for bragging rights.
Portugal form and tactics:
Portugal have won 6, drawn 3 and lost 1 of their last 10 games across all competitions. Roberto Martinez has done an excellent job to keep this team fresh and flexible, switching between a 4-3-3 and back-three system, flooding the wings with attacking players to try and get the better of their opponents.
Spain approach:
Spain boss Luis de la Fuente prefers to dominate the ball and control the tempo of the game, and they will look to press Portugal high up the pitch and frustrate their build-up play.
Spain to edge out another close one
Spain look like the more likely winners here but the odds are quite tight, with La Furia Roja 1.92, Portugal 4.1 and the draw 3.6, so the market doesn't really reflect the superiority of Spain. However, both teams to score is priced almost level, and we're going to edge towards a cagey game in Dallas.
Spain are elite level consistent, with 6 wins and 4 draws from their last 10 and while Portugal are also solid, we believe the La Furia will find a way to nick it in the last 20 minutes or so, but this will be a tight one.
These two teams have been pretty solid in their respective qualifiers and this game could go to extra-time or penalties – remember, Portugal beat Spain 7-5 in the UEFA Nations League 2024/25, so there's no love lost here.
- Mikel Oyarzabal has scored 5 of Spain's 10 goals in their last 5 matches and he looks the most likely scorer against the Portugal goal.
- Cristiano Ronaldo has 3 goals in Portugal's last 5 games and is the headline player to watch when the big time comes, but we're sticking with Spain to make it 4 wins in a row on Monday.
- Portugal's recent form is 3 wins and 2 draws from their last 5 in all comps, a run which culminated in a 5-0 rout of Uzbekistan last time out.
- Spain have a stronger form at the same stage, 4 wins and 1 draw.
