One of the most shocking statistics in all of sports is that Cristiano Ronaldo has never scored a goal in the knockout stage of the World Cup. Thursday night, Ronaldo has the chance to finally score that first knockout goal in Portugal’s massive Round of 32 matchup against Croatia.
Portugal and Croatia will kick off at 7 p.m. ET at BMO Field — currently known as Toronto Stadium — in Toronto, Canada.
2026 World Cup Odds for Portugal vs. Croatia
Portugal is a -150 moneyline favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Croatia is a +450 underdog to win in regular time. A draw is priced at +280.
Portugal is a -330 favorite to advance to the quarterfinals. Croatia holds +255 odds of reaching the next round.
Has Cristiano Ronaldo Ever Scored in the Knockout Stage of the FIFA World Cup?
Cristiano Ronaldo has had some great moments at the World Cup. He scored an incredible hat trick against Spain in the 2018 group stage. He scored a brace against Uzbekistan earlier in the 2026 World Cup. In total, he has 10 goals across his six career World Cups. Remarkably, Ronaldo scored at all six of those World Cups. His brace against Uzbekistan made him the first player in history to score at six different World Cups.
Ronaldo is also Portugal’s all-time leading goalscorer overall and at the World Cup. In fact, he has scored more international goals than any man in history.
The longevity of Ronaldo’s greatness cannot be denied. However, the one question mark around his legendary career is how he has performed in the knockout stage of the World Cup. His long-time rival, Lionel Messi, finally broke through and won the World Cup in 2022. That puts an even bigger shadow over the fact that Ronaldo has not only not won a World Cup, but has never even scored a goal in the knockout stage.
Ronaldo has played in eight World Cup knockout games in his career. However, he has failed to register a goal or an assist in any of those matches. Across his four trips to the knockout stage, Portugal has lost its first match twice, reached one quarterfinal and reached one semifinal.
Will Cristiano Ronaldo Score Against Croatia?
Cristiano Ronaldo is -130 on DraftKings Sportsbook to score a goal against Croatia. Those are the best odds of any player in the match. Ronaldo did score twice against Uzbekistan in the group stage, but struggled in Portugal’s final group stage match against Colombia.
This matchup against Croatia sets up well for Ronaldo. Croatia has found incredible success at the World Cup this century, thanks to an elite core of players led by Luka Modric. However, that group is now aged and not what they once were. Modric sits alongside Ronaldo as one of the 40-plus-year-olds playing in this tournament. The age of the Croatia squad was evident in the group stage. England scored four goals against Croatia in the opening group stage match. Harry Kane doesn’t have a ton of speed, but he was able to score against Croatia on a penalty kick and a header from a corner kick.
The fact that Kane scored from a penalty and a corner is good news for Ronaldo. Those are the areas where he thrives at this stage of his career. Ghana also scored on a set piece against Croatia. They have been vulnerable in those areas, and Ronaldo will either have the ball at his feet or put his head in those moments for Portugal.
This could very well be Ronaldo’s final World Cup. If he is ever going to score a goal in the knockout stage, this match against Croatia might be his best chance.
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