Portugal take on Croatia in for a place in the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup on Friday morning. The game will take place in Toronto, with kick-off scheduled for 12:00am (UK Time). Find our Portugal vs Croatia predictions and best bets below.
No previous meetings between these teams.
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1
Cristiano Ronaldo2 - 2Rafael Leão1
- 3
Petar Sucic1 - 4Martin Baturina1
- 5João Neves1
- 6Ante Budimir1
- 7Petar Musa1
- 8Nuno Mendes1
- 9Nikola Vlasic1
- 1Cristiano Ronaldo13
- 2Bruno Fernandes6
- 3João Félix6
- 4Mario Pasalic3
- 5Marco Pasalic3
- 6Rafael Leão2
- 7Petar Sucic2
- 8Martin Baturina2
- 9Rúben Neves2
- 10Vitinha2
- 1Bruno Fernandes4
- 2Ivan Perisic3
- 3João Félix3
- 4Nuno Mendes3
- 5Mateo Kovacic3
- 6Josip Sutalo2
- 7João Cancelo2
- 8Francisco Conceição2
- 9Martin Baturina2
- 10Marin Pongracic2
- 1João Cancelo1
- 2Ivan Perisic1
- 3Bruno Fernandes1
- 4Josip Stanisic1
- 5Pedro Neto1
- 6Petar Sucic1
- 7Luka Modric1
- 8Mateo Kovacic1
- 1Nuno Mendes6
- 2Ivan Perisic5
- 3Luka Modric5
- 4Bruno Fernandes4
- 5Francisco Conceição3
- 6Martin Baturina3
- 7João Cancelo2
- 8Josip Stanisic2
- 9Pedro Neto2
- 10Petar Sucic2
- 1Vitinha270
- 2Josip Sutalo213
- 3Renato Veiga203
- 4Luka Modric178
- 5Bruno Fernandes169
- 6João Neves164
- 7Mateo Kovacic148
- 8Nuno Mendes144
- 9Marin Pongracic134
- 10Rúben Dias112
- 1Martin Baturina9
- 2Rafael Leão5
- 3Marco Pasalic5
- 4João Félix4
- 5Nuno Mendes4
- 6João Cancelo3
- 7Josip Sutalo2
- 8Rúben Dias2
- 9Francisco Conceição2
- 10Josip Stanisic2
- 1Renato Veiga6
- 2Josip Sutalo4
- 3João Cancelo3
- 4Ivan Perisic3
- 5Rúben Dias3
- 6Josip Stanisic3
- 7João Neves3
- 8João Félix2
- 9Josko Gvardiol2
- 10Mateo Kovacic2
Portugal vs Croatia predictions
| Our Prediction | Odds & Bookmaker | Confidence | Why We’re Backing It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Match result Draw | 13/5 @ Spreadex (27.8%) | ⭐⭐⭐ | Portugal have flattered to deceive so far, with their only group-stage win coming against World Cup debutants Uzbekistan. They also needed extra time in both of their Euro 2024 knockout matches. Croatia rarely make life easy for opponents in knockout football. Five of their last seven World Cup knockout ties finished level after 90 minutes, and another tight contest looks likely. |
| Bruno Fernandes 1+ assist | 16/5 @ Ladbrokes (23.8%) | ⭐⭐ | Bruno Fernandes set a new record for the amount of assists in a single Premier League season, by notching 21 in total last term. If Portugal are to unlock what could potentially be a stubborn Croatian defence, Bruno is the man with the keys. With one assist already to his name at this tournament, 16/5 he looks too big a price with Ladbrokes, while other firms have him as 2/1. |
Odds correct at time of writing. Please gamble responsibly.
How both teams go into Portugal vs Croatia
Portugal arrived at World Cup 2026 with high expectations, but they have yet to produce a consistently convincing performance. Roberto Martinez’s side opened with a frustrating draw against DR Congo before recording their only group-stage victory against tournament debutants Uzbekistan.
A goalless draw with Colombia then saw Portugal surrender top spot in Group K, leaving them to settle for second place. While they remain one of the tournament favourites, they will need to raise their level as the knockout rounds begin.
Croatia’s campaign has followed a very different path. Zlatko Dalic’s side suffered a disappointing 4-2 defeat to England in their opening match, conceding three second-half goals after staying in the contest for long periods.
However, Croatia responded in typical fashion by grinding out a 1-0 win over Panama before producing a clinical display to beat Ghana 3-1. Those back-to-back victories secured second place in Group L and gave the 2018 finalists plenty of momentum heading into the last 32.
Portugal team news
Roberto Martinez is expected to recall his strongest XI after making changes for the final group match. Joao Neves should return to the midfield alongside Vitinha, allowing Bruno Fernandes to operate in his preferred advanced role.
Cristiano Ronaldo is set to lead the attack once again, with Pedro Neto and Joao Felix providing support from the flanks. At the back, Ruben Dias should continue alongside Renato Veiga in central defence, while Joao Cancelo, Nuno Mendes and Diogo Costa are all expected to retain their places.
Croatia team news
Zlatko Dalic is unlikely to make many changes after Croatia finished the group stage with back-to-back victories. Ante Budimir should continue to lead the attack, while Nikola Vlasic and Martin Baturina are expected to keep their places after impressing against Ghana. Petar Sucic also strengthened his claim for a starting role with his goal last time out and should line up ahead of Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic in an advanced midfield role.
Croatia could remain unchanged at the back too. Ivan Perisic is expected to continue at left-back after replacing Josko Gvardiol in the previous match, with Josip Stanisic on the opposite flank. Marin Pongracic and Josip Sutalo should start in central defence, while Dominik Livakovic continues between the posts.
Head-to-head
| Competition | Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Nations League | 17/11/2020 | France | 4-2 | Sweden |
| UEFA Nations League | 05/09/2020 | Sweden | 0-1 | France |
| FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | 09/06/2017 | Sweden | 2-1 | France |
| FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) | 11/11/2016 | France | 2-1 | Sweden |
| International Friendly | 18/11/2014 | France | 1-0 | Sweden |
Extra time on the cards?
Both of these teams have not set the tournament on fire so far and a low scoring cagey affair is expected. Back the draw at 13/5, or for those looking for something from the player props markets, take the 16/5 with Ladbrokes for Bruno Fernandes to provide an assist.
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