Toronto supporters who bought Round of 32 World Cup tickets had no idea they were going to a Cristiano Ronaldo match. CR7 leads Portugal into action against Croatia in a knockout fixture at 7:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 2, hoping to beat a Checkered Ones roster that’s bearing just as many aging veterans.
Portugal and Croatia have never met in the FIFA World Cup. Portugal’s strong record against its UEFA rival is showing up at PrizePicks, with a 1.36x return on the Lusos advancing past the Checkered Ones.
Viewers tuning in on FOX and Telemundo will see a Croatia shield that’s gone to the World Cup semifinals twice in the gala’s two most recent editions. But they’re not the favorites to advance.
Below, we'll break down our Portugal vs. Croatia World Cup prediction and picks for Thursday's Round of 32 match, including to advance markets, spread, total goals, and best player picks on PrizePicks.
Make your Portugal vs. Croatia prediction and World Cup picks on PrizePicks now!
{{worldcup_generic_offer_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}
Portugal vs. Croatia Prediction, Spread, Over/Under – Thursday, July 2
How to watch Portugal vs. Croatia: FOX (English) / Telemundo (Spanish)
Kickoff Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Venue: BMO Field (Toronto Stadium), Toronto, Canada
Portugal has an excellent head-to-head record against Croatia, with a 7-2-1 mark against the Checkered Ones.
The optimistic PrizePicks outlook for “Both Teams to Score ” is surprising, with a 1.61x payout. Those who think Portugal will win tend to believe that Croatia is too old and slow to produce victories in knockout rounds, but those who favor Croatia likely think the same of CR7.
Picks for Portugal vs. Croatia and Spain vs. Austria knockouts seem themed to historical results, making Portugal a favorite due to one historical fact: CR7 has never scored in a FIFA knockout round.
Portugal struggled through the group stage of World Cup 2026, scoring only one victory over Group K’s casualty Uzbekistan. Ronaldo’s form was harshly criticized to begin the tournament. Croatia fared better following its breakdowns in England’s 4-2 debut win, beating Panama and Ghana by an aggregate of 3-1.
Tonight's winner will meet Spain or Austria in the Round of 16 on July 6.
Portugal vs. Croatia: Favorite to Advance, Spread, Total Goals for World Cup Round of 32
Here are the full payouts for the Portugal vs. Croatia match on PrizePicks.
- To Advance Payout: Portugal 1.36x | Croatia 2.94x
- Spread: Portugal -1.5 (2.7x)
- Total Goals: Over 2.5 (1.723x) | Under 2.5 (2.04x)
- Both Teams to Score: Yes 1.61x | No 2.22x
Make your Portugal vs. Croatia prediction on spread or goals on PrizePicks Team Picks — available in 35 states!
Payouts show potential returns on correct Team Picks predictions. A 2x payout returns $200 on a $100 entry. Lower multipliers reflect more likely outcomes. Payouts are live as of writing and subject to change.
Team Picks markets are settled after full-time (90 minutes + stoppage). Extra time and penalties are not included.
Portugal vs. Croatia Prediction on Spread for World Cup Round of 32
Croatia’s lineup may be getting old, but it’s old enough to recall getting to the semifinals in each of the last two World Cups. They lost to France 5-2 in the 2018 World Cup final, returning to claim third place at Qatar 2022. Portugal reached the quarterfinals of the latter event before falling to Morocco 1-0.
FIFA’s typically staid experts are taking a leap of faith by casting Portugal as the accepted favorite over Croatia. The Checkered Ones have a decorated World Cup resume. Matchup angles seem to favor tonight’s underdog. Could it be that Ronaldo’s hype is drowning out all reason once again?
Take the matchup of Croatia’s defensive midfielder Luka Modrić against his counterpart Vitinha. Portugal’s man is 14 years younger, already rated among the sharpest World Cup footballers in passing touch. But manager Roberto Martínez’s use of Vitinha, far away from Ronaldo in a 4-2-3-1, is a topic of debate.
Modrić can steer Croatia in ways that Vitinha isn't allowed to ignite Portugal, having penetrated with his teammates to produce 4 crosses into the box, compared to Vitinha’s 0 crosses in the group stage. Martínez benched Bernardo Silva on Matchday 2, looking for ways to spark the midfield.
Ironically, the experience of a rival could be Ronaldo’s undoing in Toronto, since the tilt’s other marquee matchup pits Portugal’s striker against Croatia GK Dominik Livaković. Livaković has drawn on seasoning from UEFA club matches in World Cup play, winning two Man of the Match awards in 2022’s knockouts.
If Ronaldo bags a goal, BMO Field will erupt in rapture. And it would be his first goal in nine World Cup elimination games.
Lock in your Portugal vs. Croatia prediction for the 2026 World Cup now!
Portugal vs. Croatia Lineups for Round of 32 – Thursday, July 2
Check out the projected Portugal vs. Croatia lineups for tonight's World Cup Round of 32 match. Projected lineups are not official and are based on historical data.
Portugal Lineup vs. Croatia Tonight
Projected Formation: 4-2-3-1
- Goalkeeper: Diogo Costa
- Defense: Nuno Mendes, Renato Veiga, Ruben Dias, João Cancelo
- Defensive Midfield: Vitinha, João Neves
- Wing and Attacking Midfield: João Felix, Bruno Fernandes, Pedro Neto
- Striker: Cristiano Ronaldo
Croatia Lineup vs. Portugal Tonight
Projected Formation: 4-2-3-1
- Goalkeeper: Dominik Livaković
- Defense: Josip Stanisic, Josip Sutalo, Marin Pongračić, Ivan Perisic
- Defensive Midfield: Luka Modrić, Mateo Kovacic
- Wing and Attacking Midfield: Nikola Vlasic, Petar Sučić, Martin Baturina
- Striker: Ante Budimir
{{worldcup_sweeps_offer_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}
Portugal vs. Croatia Picks, Player Stats for Round of 32: 7/2/26
Tonight’s player profiles in World Cup 2026 picks are headlined by Portugal’s famed striker Cristiano Ronaldo, Croatia’s iron-man midfielder Luka Modrić, and the cerebral Lusos midfielder Vitinha.
Portugal ST Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Croatia
Cristiano Ronaldo Projections via PrizePicks: 0.5 Goals (Demon), 2.5 Shots (Discount)
PrizePicks is offering a special Discount on Cristiano Ronaldo's shot vs. Croatia, dropping his 4 shots to 2.5 for a limited time!
- Ronaldo has been held scoreless in six of his last eight national team caps, per FBref.
- CR7 has 6 on-target shots on 13 attempts at the 2026 World Cup.
- Ronaldo improved on his pace and movement during the group stage, emerging as Portugal’s leader in offers to receive with 69. Ronaldo has made 48 receptions under pressure.
- The legendary striker has never scored a goal in a World Cup knockout game.
Combine Portugal + Cristiano Ronaldo World Cup picks for bigger payouts on PrizePicks
Croatia MF Luka Modrić vs. Portugal
Luka Modrić Projections via PrizePicks: 60.5 Passes Attempted, 0.5 Shots (Goblin), 0.5 Fouls Drawn (Goblin)
- Modrić attempted 191 passes in the 2026 World Cup group stage.
- The 40-year-old helmsman has only one off-target shot attempt in the event.
- This evening’s match has been billed as a “battle of midfielders,” with the old lion Modrić matched up with counterpart Vitinha of Portugal, who has forced 9 turnovers in the 2026 World Cup.
- Modrić has committed 2 fouls and drawn 3 more whistles at World Cup 2026.
Combine Croatia + Luka Modrić World Cup picks for bigger payouts on PrizePicks
Portugal MF Vitinha vs. Croatia
Vitinha Projection via PrizePicks: 93.5 Passes Attempted, 0.5 Shots Assisted (Goblin), 0.5 Fouls Draw (Goblin)
- In addition to his defensive prowess, Vitinha is benefiting Portugal with his passing ability, completing 95% of his 289 passes attempted thus far in the tournament. Vitinha set a World Cup record for passing on June 17, completing 121 out of his 128 attempts against DR Congo,
- Vitinha helms Portugal’s attack from his deep midfield position, but his 0 crosses in the current World Cup show that he’s hardly found taking touches up the flank.
- Vitinha has been involved in 5 fouls in the 2026 World Cup.
- The 26-year-old Paris Saint-Germain star is not known for his striking or finishing touch, contributing no goals or assists through six qualifiers and three group-stage games this FIFA cycle.
- Vitinha executed 9 successful switches of play for Portugal in the group stage.
Combine Portugal + Vitinha World Cup picks for bigger payouts on PrizePicks
{{worldcup_generic_offer_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}
Make Your Portugal vs. Croatia Prediction on PrizePicks
Portugal vs. Croatia is a knockout battle of aging veterans. Will Ronaldo silence his critics, or will a youthful footballer steal the show and send Portugal or Croatia to the World Cup Round of 16?
Don’t wait until lock. Make your Portugal vs. Croatia picks on PrizePicks now, and earn real money if you’re right, on every World Cup game.
Pick World Cup players, predict More or Less on their stats, and cash in if you’re right. With Team Picks, you can make predictions on World Cup winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 35 states.
Stay locked in on Playbook for daily World Cup 2026 predictions, picks, news, and analysis.
Team Picks and Culture Picks are event contracts offered by Performance Predictions II, LLC d/b/a PrizePicks Predict, a CFTC-registered FCM and NFA Member. All event contract customers must be U.S. residents and 18+. Some event contracts may not be available in every state.Event contract trading carries significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. No guarantee against loss is offered. Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results.Void where prohibited by law. Restrictions apply. For full terms of service see prizepicks.com/predict-regulatory. Team and Culture Pick Early Payouts subject to market liquidity. The content provided is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, or a recommendation to trade any commodity interest.
