Spain and Portugal will drag a year's worth of Iberian ​needle into the Texas heat on Monday, when the World Cup round of 16 serves up a rematch of last year's ‌Nations League final and a clash of generations between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lamine Yamal.

A nail-biting match between Croatia and Portugal sent fans into a frenzy after a controversial video assistant referee (VAR) review denied Croatia's game-tying goal, eliminating the team from the World Cup.

Portugal manager Roberto Martínez said “it’s a shame” that Toronto won’t host more matches at the 2026 World Cup, as the city with the smallest stadium in the tournament earned its final rave reviews after Portugal defeated Croatia 2–1 in a thrilling round of 32 clash on Thursday.

Folarin Balogun wasn’t the only player who benefitted from a red-card suspension being reversed in favor of a probationary period. Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portugal star, avoided missing the first two games of the World Cup following a red card in November that led to a three-match ban — instead only missing his country’s final qualifying match and returning for their opener.