Overview
- Spain beat Portugal with a stoppage-time goal by Mikel Merino that eliminated Portugal and ended Cristiano Ronaldo’s sixth and final FIFA World Cup campaign.
- Ronaldo had said before the match that 2026 would be his last World Cup but said he would not make rash decisions about his overall Portugal future and posted an Instagram message reading “Portugal Sempre.”
- Head coach Roberto Martínez resigned in the immediate aftermath of the defeat and several media outlets have reported Jorge Jesus as the leading candidate to replace him.
- Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes described himself as “sad, frustrated, and disillusioned,” then disabled comments on his social post after receiving online abuse, and social-media reactions from players’ families and Ronaldo’s fiancée have intensified the fallout.
- Ronaldo leaves the World Cup having set longevity records—11 goals in 27 matches, the first player to score in six tournaments and the oldest knockout-stage scorer—while the one major prize, a World Cup title, eluded him and unconfirmed speculation has begun about a possible return toward the 2030 tournament.