By Arinzechi Chukwunonso
Spain, Portugal and Switzerland booked their places in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after recording victories in Thursday’s Round of 32 matches and the early hours of Friday, setting up intriguing knockout clashes as the tournament gathered momentum.
Spain were the biggest winners of the day, cruising to a commanding 3-0 victory over Austria. Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring in the 34th minute before Pedro Porro doubled the advantage in the 58th minute. Oyarzabal completed his brace with an 82nd-minute strike to seal a dominant display and send La Roja into the next round.
In Toronto, Portugal came from behind to defeat Croatia 2-1 in a thrilling encounter. Ivan Perišić fired Croatia ahead in the 53rd minute, but Cristiano Ronaldo restored parity from the penalty spot in the 68th minute before Gonçalo Ramos struck deep into stoppage time (90+2) to complete a dramatic comeback and send the Portuguese into the last 16.
In the early hours of Friday (Nigeria time), Switzerland completed the day’s action with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Algeria. Breel Embolo gave the Swiss an early lead in the 10th minute before Dan Ndoye added a second in the 52nd minute to seal progression without conceding.
The results set up one of the standout fixtures of the Round of 16, with Spain and Portugal set to renew their fierce Iberian rivalry for a place in the quarter-finals, while Switzerland will face the winner of the Colombia-Ghana tie.
Attention now turns to the remaining Round of 32 fixtures. Australia will take on Egypt at 7:00 p.m. (Nigeria time) on Friday, followed by Argentina against Cape Verde at 11:00 p.m.
The final Round of 32 match will see Colombia face Ghana at 1:30 a.m. on Saturday (Nigeria time), with the winner advancing to meet Switzerland in the Round of 16.
