As much as Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric would love to feature at the next tournament, the overwhelming likelihood is that one of the great individual World Cup careers ends tonight. It's Portugal vs Croatia in the last 32 and it's massive.
Ronaldo will be 45 by the time World Cup 2030 qualifying ends, not that Portugal will be involved as co-hosts. Modric will be 44 when the centenary tournament kicks off.
- Kick-off time: 12:00am BST (Fri) / 7:00pm ET (Thu) / 9:00am AEST (Fri)
- FREE Stream: BBC (UK) / SBS (AUS)
- TV & Streaming: Fox (US)
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Modric has led Croatia to a final and a semi-final in the past two World Cups, the Vatreni's first journeys beyond the group stage since their incredible bronze-medal debut at France 98.
For CR7, it's been more of an individual affair. Portugal's grip on the latter stages isn't all that tight but the Al-Nassr forward has a whole host of World Cup records to his name.
As they meet in Toronto, one of these World Cup titans will surely stride off over the horizon after this game and probably never return. Ronaldo won't still be pottering around in four years' time just so he can sign off in Lisbon or Porto, right? Right?
Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Portugal vs Croatia in the FIFA World Cup 2026 online, on TV, and from anywhere.
Watch Portugal vs Croatia for FREE
Portugal vs Croatia will be free-to-stream across multiple regions, including BBC in the UK, RTÉ Player in Ireland, SBS On Demand in Australia, CazéTV on YouTube in Brazil, NOS in the Netherlands, RTBF/VRT in Belgium, SRF/RTS/RSI in Switzerland, and TRT in Turkey.
English commentary will be provided on BBC, RTE Player and SBS On Demand.
‼️ Outside one of these countries? Use Norton VPN to unlock your stream from anywhere in the world — more on that below.
Watch Portugal vs Croatia from anywhere
Away from home this summer and want to watch Portugal vs Croatia? All you need is a VPN, a handy piece of software that makes your devices appear to be in a different location.
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How to watch Portugal vs Croatia in the UK
In the UK, you can stream Portugal vs Croatia on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The build-up starts at 11:30pm BST, ahead of the kick-off at 12:00am BST.
How to watch Portugal vs Croatia in the US
In the US, you can stream Portugal vs Croatia on Fox.
This channel is accessible via Fox's own streaming platform Fox One or via a cord-cutting platform such as YouTube TV, Hulu+Live TV, Sling (select markets), Fubo or DirecTV.
How to watch Portugal vs Croatia in Australia
In Australia, you can watch Portugal vs Croatia on the free SBS On Demand.
Portugal vs Croatia: World Cup 2026 Preview
This is a high-stakes game for the captains of Portugal and Croatia but the more meaningful consequences are those awaiting the teams afterwards.
Another semi-final for Croatia looks a long way off at this early stage but failing to get there – likelier than not – would mark the end of a famous era that ultimately came to nothing.
For Portugal, going out in the first knockout round would necessitate a significant period of introspection and a couple of very big decisions in the name of producing a team that's not only more than the sum of its parts, but prioritises the parts that still fit.
Neither Portugal nor Croatia managed much of note in the group stage. Roberto Martinez's team thrashed a wretched Uzbekistan and drew with DR Congo and Colombia, while Croatia were well beaten by England in Group L.
Whoever wins will return to the United States for trickier challenges ahead. Up until now, the only reason to believe either is worthy of the round of 16 is that it's impossible that neither will be there.
Joao Neves is pushing for a start for Portugal, while Josko Gvardiol is expected to return after surprisingly being left out against Ghana.
FourFourTwo's prediction
Portugal 1-0 Croatia
And, yes, it'll be him.
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