Ronaldo, Portugal play Colombia in World Cup: Prediction, kickoff, schedule

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkPortugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo heads into the final group game against Colombia on the back of a two-goal performance [Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images via AFP]By Manasi PathakPublished On 27 Jun 202627 Jun 2026The 2026 World Cup will have 13 different kickoff times. You can use the Al Jazeera Sport widget to find out exactly when your team is playing in your local time.Who: Colombia vs Portugal What: FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K match Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami When: Saturday, 7:30pm local time (23:30 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 20:30 GMT ahead of our live text commentary stream.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4FIFA World Cup Day 17: Six games as teams fight for the Round of 32list 2 of 4World Cup knockouts: Who has made it to the round of 32 stage?list 3 of 4Iran wait on World Cup progress after late goal disallowed in Egypt drawlist 4 of 4Trossard brace guides Belgium to World Cup knockouts as New Zealand exitend of listOne of the biggest group games of the 2026 World Cup takes place in Miami on Saturday when Colombia face Portugal in a battle of Group K’s top two.Colombia, powered by Luis Diaz and Daniel Munoz, have already booked their ticket to the round of 32 as the current table-toppers, while Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal, who are second, are also assured of a knockout berth.Those standings could change after Saturday’s fixture at Hard Rock Stadium, where a capacity crowd is expected after tickets reportedly sold for thousands of dollars.Al Jazeera tells you everything you need to know about Colombia vs Portugal:Portugal expect ‘away’ atmosphere in MiamiSpearheaded by the larger-than-life presence of superstar Ronaldo, Portugal are a huge and popular draw globally – but for this match, Colombia will hold the spectator edge at Hard Rock Stadium.With hundreds of thousands of Colombian Americans living in ‌the Miami metropolitan area, the Colombian team has a partisan crowd behind them. In the lead-up, Portugal coach Roberto Martinez remarked that his side would be playing “away from home” while acknowledging the enormous hype around the final matchday for both teams.Colombia vs Portugal is the most in-demand fixture of all 72 group-stage games, according to The Athletic, with five million ticket requests made in the first 24 hours of the Random Selection Draw in December.“It means I had to buy tickets for my family in November,” Martinez quipped when asked about the fan dedication. “That’s what it means, because I knew it was going to be difficult to get tickets.”“I think it’s fascinating. The passion of the game in a difficult moment in the world. Football still brings unity, it brings passion, it brings inspiration for the kids … So I hope football wins and inspiration of anyone that watches the game.”While Colombia have reached ⁠the knockout stages with six points from two games, Portugal sit second on four points and are all but through. Finishing second could give them a tougher path in the knockout stage, with England or Croatia potential opponents.Portugal train ahead of their game against Colombia, where they’ll be aiming to earn the top spot [Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images via AFP]Colombia coach warns team against Ronaldo, VitinhaColombia coach Nestor Lorenzo said his team will need “special tactical discipline” against Portugal, whom he considers one of the favourites to win the tournament. The Colombians need to avoid defeat to advance as group winners, but Lorenzo was taking nothing for granted against the No 5 side in the FIFA world rankings.“We’ll try to maintain our style and our footballing identity,” he said.“But without a doubt, we have to pay attention to the other characteristics and strengths [that Portugal] has. It’s a very well-coached team. They have a coach and players who are at the elite level of world football … and ‌that shows in their game.”Lorenzo also said Colombia will be wary of the threat posed by Ronaldo, who scored twice in the last match, and Vitinha, the defensive midfielder known for his ball control, work rate and playmaking abilities.“Both Vitinha and Ronaldo are decisive players. One in the organisation of the game and the quality of his playmaking, and the other in finishing,” he added. “So we absolutely cannot leave them alone or neglect them. Hopefully, the team collective will be well-oiled.”Colombia are set to feature in the World Cup knockouts for the first time since 2018, having failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.Wing-back Daniel Munoz has been a standout player in the Colombia squad, with two goals in two games [Ulises Ruiz/AFP]Colombia vs Portugal predictionOpta’s supercomputer has calculated a 48.9 percent probability of Portugal winning this fixture, while Colombia is assessed a 26 percent chance of victory. There is a 25.1 percent probability of the game ending in a draw.Overall, Colombia are favourites to finish on top of Group G, with a 53.32 percent probability, according to Opta.Colombia vs Portugal: Kickoff time, TV channel Colombia: DSPORTS, RCN TELEVISION SA, CARACOL, DGO (6:30pm Colombia Standard Time) Portugal: RTP 1, RTP Play, LiveModeTV, SPORT.TV5 (00:30am on Sunday, Western European Summer Time) United Kingdom: BBC iPlayer, BBC One, Red Button 1 (00:30 am on Sunday, British Summer Time) USA: FOX, FOX One, Telemundo App, Telemundo Network, Peacock, (7:30pm, Eastern Daylight Time) To check the TV listings for your country, head to FIFA’s TV listing schedule here.What’s the scenario in Group K?Colombia (six points) and Portugal (four points) are assured of a round of 32 berth each as the top two teams. The Democratic Republic of the Congo are third with one point, and Uzbekistan bottom with zero.The top two teams from each of the 12 groups, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will proceed to the round of 32.DR Congo have to beat Uzbekistan to stand a chance of advancing via the third-place team route.Can Portugal finish on top of Group K?Yes, Portugal can topple Colombia from first place in Group K if they beat the South Americans. Currently, they have a two-point difference.If Portugal draw with Colombia or lose to them, Ronaldo’s side will remain second.What’s the benefit of winning a group?Group winners start their knockout campaign against a third-placed team from another group.In this case, the Group G winner will face a third-placed team from Group D, E, I, J or L in the round of 32 in Kansas City on July 3.Form guide(Last five games, latest first)Colombia: W-W-W-W-LPortugal: W-D-W-W-WBoth teams have a solid record over the last five matches, with Portugal edging Colombia with an unbeaten streak over that period.Portugal thrashed Uzbekistan 5-0 and were held to a 1-1 draw by DR Congo in the first game of the World Cup. They defeated Nigeria and Chile in pre-World Cup friendlies and beat the USA in a March friendly.Colombia defeated DR Congo 1-0 and Uzbekistan 3-1 at the tournament. Before that, they beat Jordan and Costa Rica in June friendlies but lost to France in a March exhibition fixture.Portugal have scored six goals across two matches at the tournament, including a double from Cristiano Ronaldo [Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP]Colombia vs Portugal: Team newsNo injuries have been reported by either Colombia or Portugal.Colombia predicted lineup(4-3-3): Vargas (goalkeeper); Munoz, Sanchez, Lucumi, Mojica; Puerta, Lerma, Arias; Rodriguez, Suarez, DiazPortugal predicted lineup(4-2-3-1): Costa (goalkeeper); Cancelo, Dias, Veiga, Mendes; Neves, Vitinha; Neto, Fernandes, Felix, RonaldoLuis Diaz is one of Colombia’s most lethal attackers [Eloisa Sanchez/Reuters]