By the numbers: Portugal historically outperforms Croatia

Portugal faces a tough challenge against Croatia in the Round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup, a match of great importance to both teams in their quest to reach the Round of 16. It also presents a new opportunity for Portugal's captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, to break one of the biggest hurdles of his international career . The Portuguese team enters the match with a psychological and historical advantage, having finished the group stage undefeated with one win and two draws, securing second place in Group K behind Colombia. Coach Roberto Martinez hopes to continue his team's World Cup run, capitalizing on Portugal's historical dominance over Croatia. Portugal has lost only one of ten matches between the two sides across various competitions, with seven wins and two draws. Furthermore, Portugal maintains an unbeaten record in all six official matches against Croatia, achieving five wins and one draw . Cristiano Ronaldo will be the center of attention in the match, as he will be playing his ninth World Cup knockout game, should he participate. However, he is still searching for his first goal in this stage of the tournament, having failed to score in his previous eight knockout matches . Although the Al-Nassr captain scored twice in the resounding victory over Uzbekistan during the group stage, he was unable to find the net against DR Congo and Colombia, continuing his struggles in crucial World Cup matches. Statistics indicate that Ronaldo has taken 29 shots in the knockout stages of the World Cup without scoring, a record he shares with former Brazilian star Roberto Carlos since these statistics began being recorded in 1966. Despite the positive results, the group stage matches revealed some weaknesses in the Portuguese national team's attacking performance. Despite enjoying 62.5% possession – their highest ever in a World Cup group stage – and completing a record 1,690 passes, the team managed only 37 shots, 12 of which were on target, highlighting the need for greater clinical finishing . Meanwhile, Croatia enters the match looking to end their recent run of poor results against European teams in the World Cup, having failed to secure a victory in their last three encounters with opponents from the continent. This streak began with a 4-2 defeat to France in the 2018 final, followed by a goalless draw against Belgium in the 2022 group stage, and then a 4-2 loss to England in their opening match of the current tournament .