Portugal hung and Croatia will face off; Messi vs Ronaldo is only possible in the final
Portugal drew 0-0 against Croatia, complicating their World Cup 2026 campaign and keeping the expected clash between Messi and Ronaldo at bay unless they reach the final.
Portugal were held to a 0-0 draw against Croatia, a result that made their campaign at the World Cup 2026 even more difficult. In the last matches, the Lusitanians' composure was remarkable: against Colombia, they were on the verge of defeat several times and it took Diogo Costa's defiant parades — who were the best on the field — as well as an almost "millimeter" offside called by VAR to avoid defeat.
As a result of the combination of results, Portugal's expected route to the first knockout round was disrupted. Instead of Ghana in Kansas City, Croatia in Toronto will be the opponent — very different, both in the climate and in the technical battle, compared to the prepared scenario. This is a big turn for the group that had hoped to take their first step in the do-or-die part of the tournament easier.
<figure style="margin:2rem 0;overflow:hidden;border:1px solid #e2e2e2;background:#f9f9f9"><img src="https://tmw-storage-auto.tcccdn.com/storage/tuttomercatoweb.com/img_notizie/thumb3/93/932c4e4a5f04c9b68fd002bea4372d9b-23017-oooz0000.jpeg" alt="Image" style="width:100%;height:auto;object-fit:contain" loading="lazy" /></figure>If Portugal can get past Croatia, the next stage could be even tougher: the winner awaits between Spain and, more likely, Austria — or Algeria if they can get the win in the current match. In other words, the mountain Portugal will have to climb heading into the final stages has suddenly become steeper.
Due to the position of the teams in the bracket, the expected early "rendezvous" between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will not happen. They are on separate sides of the table, so they can only go head-to-head if they both make it to the very last match — the final at MetLife Stadium in New York on July 19. For now, the road seems straighter for Argentina, while the challenge is tougher for Portugal if it wants to reach that stage.
