The World Cup has been wild, let's talk about it ⚽

🇵🇹 Portugal 2-1 Croatia 🇭🇷: an instant classic

This one had everything. Croatia went up 0-1 in the 53rd minute through Ivan Perisic, and Ronaldo, at 41 years old and rumored to be considering international retirement if Portugal went out, leveled it from the penalty spot in the 68th, his first-ever World Cup knockout goal after two earlier "goals" got wiped out by the offside flag. Roberto Martinez subbed Ronaldo off in the 82nd minute with the score still tied, and he had to watch the ending from the bench, which had to sting a little.

Then stoppage time happened. Goncalo Ramos headed home a Rafael Leao cross in the 4th minute of injury time to make it 2-1, and Croatia thought they had snatched a draw right back when Josko Gvardiol poked home a rebound moments later, only for VAR to chalk it off for offside in the buildup. Brutal way for Luka Modric, likely playing his final World Cup at 40, to see his country's run end. 🎬

Portugal's reward: a Round of 16 rematch of the 2025 Nations League final against Spain, Monday, July 6, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Portugal won that one. We'll see.

🇪🇸 Spain 3-0 Austria 🇦🇹: business as usual

Less drama, more efficiency. Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice, both set up by Marc Cucurella down the left, and Pedro Porro headed in a third off an Alex Baena cross. Spain put up 23 shots to Austria's 5 and looked like the European champions they are. Oyarzabal is up to 4 goals for the tournament now, chasing Messi and Mbappe for the Golden Boot.

🇨🇭 Switzerland 2-0 Algeria 🇩🇿: history for the Swiss

Breel Embolo opened the scoring in the 10th minute off a Johan Manzambi through ball, and Dan Ndoye doubled it right at the start of the second half after pouncing on a loose clearance. Doesn't sound dramatic, but it's Switzerland's first World Cup knockout win in 88 years. Eighty-eight. 🥳 They'll face the winner of Colombia and Ghana next.

Who's playing today (Friday, July 3)

Today wraps up the Round of 32 with three matches left to decide who joins the Round of 16:

🇦🇺 Australia vs Egypt 🇪🇬, 2pm ET, AT&T Stadium. Neither country has ever won a World Cup knockout match, so someone's making history today. Simulations give Egypt a slight edge, about 54 percent, but it is close to a coin flip.

🇦🇷 Argentina vs Cape Verde 🇨🇻, 6pm ET, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens. Cape Verde has been the feel-good story of the tournament, the third-smallest nation ever to play in a World Cup, and they went undefeated through a group that knocked out Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. This is their first meeting with Argentina ever. Messi and company are heavy favorites, but I'll be rooting for the upset a little.

🇨🇴 Colombia vs Ghana 🇬🇭, 9:30pm ET, Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City. Also a first-ever meeting. Colombia has quietly been one of the more impressive teams so far, winning their group and holding Portugal to a scoreless draw along the way.

What to expect next

The Round of 16 runs Saturday, July 4 through Tuesday, July 7. The headline match on paper is Spain against Portugal on Monday, a rematch of last year's Nations League final and genuinely one of the best ties the bracket could have produced this early. The USA also plays Belgium that same day in Seattle, which is worth clearing your evening for if you're rooting for the hosts.

Not trying to turn this into a sports blog full time, I still build privacy-first apps and write about tech and money here, but this tournament has been too good not to talk about. Who are you watching for? Reply or reach out, I'd love to hear it. Verified July 3, 2026.