2026 World Cup Round of 16: Portugal Faces Spain; USA Battles Belgium
Neither Portugal nor Spain had a flawless journey through the group stages despite being tournament favorites. Both teams showed signs of struggle but managed to advance past the Round of 32, defeating Croatia and Austria respectively. Spain's victory stood out as particularly strong, while Portugal narrowly avoided elimination thanks to a last-minute VAR intervention that ruled out a Croatian equalizer.
Pedro Neto has been a consistent presence for Portugal, starting all four matches and contributing one assist so far.
- Date / Time: Monday, July 6, 2026, 3pm EDT; 8pm BST
- Venue: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX, USA
- Referee: Anthony Taylor (USA)
- Broadcast: FOX, Telemundo (USA); BBC One (UK)
- Streaming: FOX One, Peacock (USA); BBC iPlayer (UK)
USA Meets Belgium in a High-Stakes Clash
The match between the USA and Belgium is the most anticipated encounter for American fans. A surprising development is the lifting of striker Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension, allowing him to participate. This type of decision by FIFA is extremely rare, with a historical precedent dating back to 1962 when Garrincha was allowed to play in the final after a prior sending-off. More recently, Cristiano Ronaldo's ban was delayed similarly.
The US team aims to avenge their 2014 Round of 16 defeat to Belgium, which ended after extra time despite heroic efforts from goalkeeper Tim Howard.
- Date / Time: Monday, July 6, 2026, 8pm EDT; 1am BST (next day)
- Venue: Lumen Field, Seattle, WA, USA
- Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)
- Broadcast: FOX, Telemundo (USA); BBC One (UK)
- Streaming: FOX One, Peacock (USA); BBC iPlayer (UK)
