World Cup 2026: Who will Ronaldo’s Portugal face in Round of 32?

3 min readUpdated: Jun 27, 2026 09:17 PM IST

World Cup 2026 Round of 32: Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal first knockout opponents will be determined on Saturday night. (AP Photo)

FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 Schedule: Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal’s elusive dream of global silverware will face stiff challenges, irrespective of how their final Group K game against Colombia fares in Miami on Saturday.

The 2016 European champion had a rough start to the group stages after being held to a 1-1 draw by DR Congo. However, Portugal responded with a bang, smashing five goals against Uzbekistan, during which their talisman Ronaldo netted a brace to silence his critics.

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As much of the Round of 32 brackets have almost been finalised, Portugal’s road ahead will be determined by their final group game result.

FIFA World Cup 2026: Round of 32 Schedule

Match No

Date

Round of 32 Match

Time (IST)

Venue

73

Jun 29

South Africa vs Canada

12:30 AM

Los Angeles

74

June 29

Brazil vs Japan

10:30 PM

Houston

75

June 30

Germany vs Paraguay

2:00 AM

Foxborough

76

June 30

Netherlands vs Morocco

6:30 AM

Guadalajara

77

June 30

Cote d’Ivoire vs Norway

10.30 PM

Arlington

78

July 1

France vs Sweden

2:30 AM

New Jersey

79

July 1

Mexico vs C3/E3/F3/H3/I3

6:30 AM

Mexico City

80

July 1

Group L winners vs E3/H3/I3/J3/K3

9:30 PM

Atlanta

81

July 2

Belgium vs A3/E3/H3/I3/J3

1.30 AM

Seattle

82

July 2

United States vs Bosnia-Herzegovina

5.30 AM

Santa Clara

83

July 3

Spain vs Group J runners-up

12:30 AM

Los Angeles

84

July 3

Group K runners-up vs Group L runners-up

4:30 AM

Toronto

85

July 3

Switzerland vs E3/F3/G3/I3/J3

8:30 AM

Vancouver

86

July 3

Australia vs Egypt

11:30 PM

Arlington

87

July 4

Argentina vs Cape Verde

3.30 PM

Miami

88

July 4

Group K winners vs E3/I3/L3

7:00 AM

Kansas City

FIFA World Cup 2026: Who are Portugal’s likely Round of 32 opponents?

If Portugal beat Colombia, they will end on top of Group K with seven points, drawing themselves towards the last Round of 32 match in Kansas City on July 4. That will mean they will take on a third-placed qualifier from one of group E, I or L. As things stand, Portugal are likely to face a third-placed team from group L if they indeed top the group. In that case, they will likely take on one of Ghana, Croatia or Panama who are in with an outside chance.

If Portugal lose or draw against Colombia, they will with second in Group K with four points, and be slotted in Match No. 84, taking on the runners-up from Group L, which will again be decided by the result of the Ghana-Croatia contest.