Ronaldo out to fire Portugal past Colombia

Portugal take on Colombia at Miami Stadium tonight, needing a victory to secure top spot in Group K of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Kickoff is set for 2:30 a.m. (Bahrain time).

Roberto Martínez's side sit second on four points after two matches, two behind Colombia, meaning only a win will see them leapfrog the South Americans. A draw or defeat would leave Portugal relying on other results to determine their finishing position, although they are still expected to progress to the knockout stage.

Portugal head into the contest buoyed by a commanding 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice to answer recent criticism following his quiet performance in the goalless draw against Congo DR. The brace took the veteran forward to an extraordinary 975 career goals, underlining his continued importance to the Portuguese attack.

A draw would see Portugal finish second in the group, while defeat could still be enough for the runners-up spot if Congo DR fail to beat Uzbekistan. Even in the unlikely event of slipping to third, Martínez's men remain well placed to qualify among the tournament's best third-placed teams.

Colombia, meanwhile, have enjoyed a flawless start to the tournament, opening with a 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan before edging Congo DR 1-0 to secure qualification for the last 32.

Néstor Lorenzo's side lead Group K with six points and require only a draw to finish first, which would earn them a round-of-32 meeting with one of the best third-placed teams from Groups D, E, I, J or L. A defeat, however, would see La Tricolor surrender top spot and instead face the runners-up from Group L.

Colombia have emerged as one of the tournament's surprise contenders after an impressive group-stage campaign and will be aiming to replicate their memorable run to the quarter-finals in 2014.

The match will also mark the first competitive meeting between the two nations. Their only previous encounter came in an international friendly in 2014, which ended in a goalless draw.