Portugal and Croatia Clash in Toronto Heat as Ronaldo and Modrić Face

By Tahani Elghazaly
Published July 2, 2026

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Portugal and Croatia’s Round of 32 clash at the 2026 FIFA World Cup turned into more than a knockout match. In Toronto, the game became a major community event, an emotional football occasion, and possibly one of the final World Cup appearances for Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modrić.

According to Reuters, thousands of Portuguese and Croatian fans marched toward Toronto Stadium despite extreme heat, as the city’s large Portuguese and Croatian communities turned the match into one of the most emotionally charged fixtures of the knockout stage. The same report noted that temperatures reached around 37 C, while transportation services were affected and a planned central fan broadcast was cancelled because of crowd-management concerns.

The match carried a rare emotional weight because it could mark the last World Cup appearance for one of football’s defining modern figures. Ronaldo, 41, and Modrić, 40, have shaped more than two decades of international football, and their meeting in Toronto was widely viewed as a possible final chapter on the world stage.

The Guardian described the game as another reunion between two former Real Madrid teammates who built legendary careers together and separately. The report noted that Ronaldo and Modrić are among a small group of players with more than 200 international caps, underlining the scale of their longevity and influence.

On the pitch, Portugal made one change to its starting lineup, with Rafael Leão replacing João Félix in attack, while Croatia kept an unchanged team, according to Reuters. Portugal’s lineup included Diogo Costa, Rúben Dias, João Cancelo, Nuno Mendes, Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafael Leão and Pedro Neto, while Croatia started with Dominik Livaković, Luka Modrić, Mateo Kovačić, Ivan Perišić and Ante Budimir among its key names.

Health warnings added another layer to the occasion. Fans attending the match were urged to drink water, limit alcohol intake and prepare for difficult weather conditions as the heat in Toronto was expected to feel close to 40 C. For many supporters, however, the possibility of watching Ronaldo and Modrić on the same World Cup stage one more time outweighed the discomfort.

At the time this draft was prepared, the match was still in progress and should be updated immediately after the final whistle with the confirmed result, key moments and the identity of the team that will face Spain in the Round of 16.