The round of 16 continues on Monday with two more marquee matches. The action begins in Dallas where Iberian Peninsula rivals Spain and Portugal will meet for a spot in the quarterfinals. In the nightcap, co-hosts the United States will take on Belgium for not just a spot in the quarterfinals, but with the chance to endear itself to its fans and perhaps ignite the popularity of the sport in the country to unprecedented levels.
Here is all you need to know for Monday’s slate at the World Cup:
When: Monday, July 6, 3 p.m. ET
Where: Dallas
TV: FOX
Stream: Watch three days free on FOX One
Two neighbors meet on Monday afternoon at Dallas Stadium with a berth in the World Cup quarterfinals on the line. Spain is favored in this game and has not conceded a goal yet in the tournament, but Portugal has impressive talent at every position and is capable of pulling off an upset if Luis de la Fuente’s team is not on its game.
Spain began its World Cup campaign with a disappointing 0-0 draw against Cape Verde but since then has been firing on all cylinders. The team’s offense is led by center forward Mikel Oyarzabal, who has been the team’s best goalscorer for years. With four goals at this World Cup, Oyarzabal has now scored 17 goals in his last 16 starts for Spain.
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Even with Oyarzabal’s success, Spain boasts a multidimensional attack that is difficult to stop. Teenage winger Lamine Yamal has been dangerous but still only has one goal in this tournament, and it seems like only a matter of time before he makes a major impact. Atlético Madrid’s Álex Baena has been heading up lately with a goal and assist in the last two games, wins over Austria and Uruguay.
This game will also be a clash of elite central midfield pairings. Portugal’s central midfielders both play for two-time reigning Champions League winners João Neves and Vitinha, while Spain has the veteran duo of Barcelona’s Pedri and Manchester City’s Rodri. This game will likely be decided by which team wins this midfield battle.
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For Portugal, there is the 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, who confirmed that this his final pursuit of a World Cup title. In the team’s 2-1 win over Croatia in the round of 32, Ronaldo scored his first ever goal in a World Cup knockout round.
Portugal’s win over Croatia was hard fought and controversial after a late Croatian equalizer was ruled off for an offside call via VAR that was determined by a microchip inside the ball. One concern for Portugal in this game is how taxing that game was on its players and whether Roberto Martinez’s team will be fully rested for this game.
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The Real Sociedad forward was on the wrong end of unflattering headlines following Spain’s opening 0-0 draw with Cape Verde as Oyarzabal played the first 30 minutes without touching the ball. Since then, however, he has four goals in four games. Since the start of 2025, he has scored 16 goals in 16 caps for Spain. For Spain, he is the key to a victory in this game, and stopping him is Portugal’s top priority.
When: Monday, July 6, 8 p.m. ET
Where: Seattle
TV: FOX
Stream: Watch three days free on FOX One
The United States will look to advance to the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 2002 when it takes on Belgium at Seattle Stadium on Monday night.
In that game at the 2002 World Cup, the Bruce Arena-led team defeated Mexico 2-0 in the round of 16. That win over Mexico was played across the globe in South Korea in the middle of the night for most of the United States and was watched by only the most committed of fans at that time.
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In comparison, this game is poised to be a blockbuster in the United States. The sport is now much more prevalent in the country and with this game coming in prime time on home soil, a significant portion of the country will be tuning in, and the team will have a passionate crowd behind it.
The backbone of the U.S. team’s success to date has been the impressive midfield trio of Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Malik Tillman who have all had an excellent tournament on both sides of the ball. That trio has been instrumental in playing the ball into the attack, which is led by Folarin Balogun and Christian Pulisic.
Also key to the U.S. team has been the ball distribution out of the team’s backline led by central defenders in captain Tim Ream and Chris Richards – along with hybrid central defender/right back Alex Freeman – who have all been able to play the ball into advanced positions and quickly get the U.S. team into attacking positions.
This will be by far the U.S. team’s biggest test in this tournament as Belgium is the first opponent Mauricio Pochettino’s team has faced in this tournament, which is ranked in the top 10 of the FIFA World Rankings at number nine.
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They met very recently in March, and it was ugly for Pochettino’s team as Belgium coasted to a 5-2 win in Atlanta. But the U.S. team was without key starters Tyler Adams, Sergino Dest and Chris Richards in that game. Plus, Pochettino’s team has significantly evolved tactically since the start of World Cup camp in May.
Led by head coach Rudi Garcia, Belgium advanced to this stage with a 3-2 win over Senegal, which was the most dramatic game of the tournament, so far. Belgium trailed Senegal 2-0 into the 85th minute when substitute Romelu Lukaku pulled one back in the 86th minute before captain Youri Tielemans equalized three minutes later. Then in the 120th minute, Tielemans drew a penalty which he then converted in the final minute of extra time.
The question is now whether that 120-minute emotional victory was taxing on the Belgian players. Belgium had a slow start to this tournament with draws against Egypt and Iran but has since scored eight goals in its last two games against New Zealand and Senegal.
This will be an enormous test for Pochettino and his team as Belgium boasts a lot of impressive talent. Even at age 35, Kevin De Bruyne remains an effective playmaker for the national team, while Jérémy Doku and Leandro Trossard are an elite set of starting wingers.
This is not just another World Cup for the U.S. team. Pochettino and his team are chasing history and a win in this game would be a defining moment not just for this team, but for the sport in the United States.
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The U.S. national team’s best goalscorer has had a wild week. He scored the decisive goal in the 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 but was later sent off for a straight red card. On Sunday, Balogun’s red card was suspended by FIFA and the Monaco forward will now be cleared to play.
The question will be how Balogun emotionally responds to this news. Will he have a burst of energy? Will he be cautious? Also, how will Belgium respond while likely not seeing the decision as fair?
