Pre-matchThursday, July 2

Ronaldo's Last Crusade: Portugal vs Croatia, Kansas City, July 2

⚙ Auto-generated — may contain errors

A blockbuster Round of 32 showdown pits Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal — likely playing their final tournament together as a golden generation — against Luka Modrić's Croatia, whose own era is drawing its final curtain.

57 of 71 poolmates (80%) are riding with Portugal, and for once the pool and the bookies are singing from the same hymn sheet — Portugal are clear market favourites to advance.

What's at Stake

This is knockout football, pure and simple — one match, one winner, and the loser goes home. For Portugal, this is perhaps the last realistic chance for Ronaldo to win the one trophy that has eluded him throughout an era-defining career. At 41 years old, CR7 is almost certainly playing in his final World Cup, and the golden generation of Pepe, Bruno Fernandes, and Bernardo Silva isn't getting any younger either. Croatia, meanwhile, have quietly punched above their weight for a decade — their 2018 final run and 2022 third-place finish the high-water marks of Modrić's extraordinary tenure. Both sides know the stakes: this isn't just a round-of-32 tie, it's a farewell tour for two legends, and only one gets to keep walking.

Team News & Expected Lineups

Portugal are expected to line up in their trusted 4-2-3-1, with Ronaldo leading the line and Bruno Fernandes pulling the strings behind him. Bernardo Silva and Rafael Leão provide the width, while Vitinha and Rúben Neves anchor the midfield. Rúben Dias and Pepe — yes, still Pepe, defying all known laws of biological ageing — are expected to partner at centre-back, with Diogo Dalot and Nuno Mendes at full-back. Croatia will likely deploy their familiar 4-3-3, with Modrić, Kovačić, and Brozović (or his successor in the pivot) controlling the engine room. Andrej Kramarić leads the attack. Check for any late injury updates closer to the July 2 kickoff, but both squads are expected to be close to full strength for this one.

The Key Matchup: Bruno vs Modrić's Midfield

The tactical battle that will define this game is Portugal's Bruno Fernandes against Croatia's midfield trio. Modrić, Kovačić, and company have spent years suffocating opponents in the middle of the park — their ability to recycle possession and compress space is world-class, even at this late stage of their careers. If Bruno gets time on the ball and can thread passes into Ronaldo and Leão in behind, Portugal should have the quality to win. If Croatia's midfield swallows him whole and limits Portugal to hopeful Ronaldo headers, this becomes far more uncomfortable. Rafael Leão's pace on the left is Portugal's ace in the hole — Croatia have sometimes struggled against direct, explosive wide forwards — and Roberto Martínez will fancy his side's chances if they can get Leão running at Josip Juranović or whoever lines up at right-back.

Odds & The Pool's Call

Portugal are clear market favourites to advance, with bookmakers reflecting the gap in squad depth and peak quality between these two sides at this stage of their respective arcs. That said, Croatia are nobody's pushovers — they have made a habit of dragging better-resourced nations into the meat grinder of extra time and penalties, and their tournament pedigree in knockout football is exceptional. The pool is firmly with the favourites: 57 of 71 entries (80%) back Portugal, with the most popular scoreline being 2-1 to the Seleção (20 entries), followed by 1-0 (12 entries) and — tellingly — 1-1 (11 entries), suggesting a healthy chunk of the pool fears Croatia will make a game of it. The 14 brave souls backing Croatia will be cheering for Modrić magic and another famous giant-killing.

▸Sources (30)