yesdaida news

By Vikram Iyer — 2 July 2026 — 3 min read

The FIFA World Cup 2026 continues with a busy schedule for the round of 32, featuring matches across North America. Among the key fixtures, Portugal will face Croatia at Toronto Stadium, Ontario, Canada, on Thursday.

This match is part of a day that also includes Spain against Austria at Los Angeles Stadium and Switzerland versus Algeria at BC Place Vancouver. The tournament has already seen a mix of unexpected results and late comebacks, adding to the excitement.

Portugal and Croatia’s historical encounters

Historically, Portugal has maintained an advantage over Croatia. In their 10 meetings across all competitions, Portugal has only lost once. They remain unbeaten in six competitive encounters, securing five wins and one draw.

According to pre-match simulations, Portugal is considered the favourite to advance. The Opta supercomputer, after running 25,000 simulations, gave Portugal a 54.5 percent chance of winning within 90 minutes. Croatia‘s chances of victory in normal time were rated at 20.4 percent, with 25.1 percent of simulations ending in a draw, potentially leading to extra time or penalties.

The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo in Toronto has generated considerable excitement. On Wednesday, fans gathered along highways, in downtown areas, and on high-rise buildings, hoping to see the Portugal captain. This marks Ronaldo‘s return to Toronto, where he last played in 2009 during a pre-season friendly with Real Madrid at the same stadium.

The match is anticipated to be one of Ronaldo’s final World Cup appearances, further intensifying fan interest. Ticket prices for the match on resale platforms have reportedly surged, with the average cost of the cheapest available ticket reaching over $3,000 on Saturday.

Other key matches and tournament developments

In other round of 32 action, Spain is favoured against Austria. The Opta supercomputer predicted a 70.6 percent chance of Spain winning within 90 minutes, based on 25,000 simulations. Austria had a 12.2 percent chance of winning, with 17.3 percent of simulations resulting in a draw. Factoring in extra time and penalties, Spain‘s probability of reaching the last 16 is 79.5 percent, while Austria‘s is 20.5 percent.

Switzerland will face Algeria in their first competitive meeting. They have previously played two friendly matches, with Switzerland winning both: 2-1 in 1983 and 2-0 three years later. Switzerland is also favoured to progress, with a 49.5 percent chance of winning in 90 minutes, compared to Algeria‘s 23.9 percent. A draw occurred in 26.6 percent of simulations.

Several teams have already secured their spots in the round of 16. These include Canada, Brazil, Paraguay, Morocco, Norway, France, Mexico, England, and the USA. Teams that have been eliminated so far include South Africa, Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, Ivory Coast, Sweden, Ecuador, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In a notable match, Harry Kane scored two late goals to help England come from behind and beat the Democratic Republic of the Congo 2-1, securing their place in the last 16. This dramatic comeback led to celebrations among England players and fans, who sang “Wonderwall” after the final whistle.

The World Cup has also seen some controversy. Senegal coach Pape Thiaw expressed frustration after his team’s dramatic loss to Belgium. Senegal was leading 2-0 in the 85th minute but ultimately lost 3-2 in extra time after a VAR-reviewed penalty decision. Thiaw and defender Krepin Diatta felt the penalty was harsh and that the team lost focus in the closing stages.

Meanwhile, Iran‘s football team was welcomed home by hundreds of fans in Tehran after their World Cup exit. In Mexico City, four people died during celebrations following Mexico‘s win over Ecuador, which secured their place in the round of 16.

The match between Portugal and Croatia is set to begin at 7pm local time (23:00 GMT) on Thursday.

Source: aljazeera.com