Spain Defeats Portugal to Advance to World Cup Quarterfinals

In the round of 16 match held at the Dallas Stadium in the United States, Spain defeated Portugal 1–0 to secure a spot in the quarterfinals. On June 7, in Kathmandu time, Spain advanced to the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup 2026 by overcoming Portugal. The decisive goal was scored by Spain’s Mikel Merino.

Merino netted the winning goal in the first minute of injury time in the second half, assisted by Ferran Torres, which gave Spain the crucial lead.

Throughout the match, Spain maintained superior ball control and attacking play over Portugal. With this loss, Portugal has been eliminated from the World Cup round of 16, whereas they had reached the quarterfinals in the 2022 World Cup. Spain has reached the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in 16 years. Since winning the World Cup in 2010, Spain had not progressed past the quarterfinals until now. They were eliminated in the group stage of the 2014 World Cup, and reached only the round of 16 in both the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.