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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The 2026 FIFA World Cup group stages are officially in the books, and the Round of 32 has arrived. The bracket is set, matchups are confirmed, and now every team knows who they're going to face. And for most of the favorites, the draw was relatively kind. But for one, it's starting to look more and more like their tournament dreams could be coming to an end.
Enter Portugal.
Portugal looked like a team of destiny coming into the tournament. Cristiano Ronaldo made history with this being his record sixth (and likely final) World Cup, and many analysts agreed Seleção had one of the deepest and most complete rosters of any country.
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But with how their group stage ended, legitimate concerns have emerged.
Ronaldo scored twice against Uzbekistan in a dominant 5-0 win, becoming the first player ever to score in six World Cups. But it's the other two group matches that have put Portugal in a difficult position.
Portugal drew 1-1 with DR Congo in their opening match, with Joao Neves heading them in front early before Yoane Wissa leveled late in the first half. Then, on Saturday night, Colombia sealed the top spot in Group K with a 0-0 draw, sending Portugal into the knockouts as the runners-up.
And looking at the bracket, Ronaldo's final World Cup could be over very soon.
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By finishing second in the group, Portugal first has to get past Croatia in the Round of 32. Croatia won their last two matches and have one of the most technically sound, and battle-tested lineups in the tournament. More importantly, they're a squad known to make noise deep in the tournament.
Croatia may no longer be the juggernaut they once were in 2018, but they're experienced and know better than anyone how to grind out wins in the knockout rounds.
And let's just assume Portugal can manage to squeak by that one, awaiting them in the Round of 16 would, in all likelihood, be Spain, the pre-tournament favorites. After their stunning 0-0 opener against Cape Verde, they've got their form back and are playing some of the sharpest soccer in the tournament. Only they and Mexico have yet to allow a goal in this World Cup.
Then, if they somehow escape that, you've probably got Belgium or the United States in the quarterfinals. That's three difficult matches before you even hit the semifinals. By that point, Portugal would have nothing left in the tank for any matchup against a France, Germany, or Netherlands.
Portugal already started to show cracks in their draw against Colombia, and now they've got arguably the toughest schedule of any team in the bracket. And the worst part is, had Portugal won Group K, they'd be playing Ghana and then likely Switzerland in the Round of 16, a much more manageable path forward.
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