liveUpdated 7m agoFollow live as Colombia and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal go head to head to win Group K.The Athletic Live TeamJune 27, 2026 at 4:38 PM EDTCristiano Ronaldo is expected to start today's World Cup clash GettyColombia vs Portugal — Latest Portugal and Colombia go head-to-head in their final group game, with top spot in Group K on the line at the World Cup.Portugal are looking for a second consecutive win, after Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace in the 5-0 win over Uzbekistan. Meanwhile, Colombia currently top the group after two wins from their first two matches.DR Congo take on Uzbekistan simultaneously in Atlanta as Group K concludes. Kick-off: 7:30pm ET, 4:30pm PT Watch: Fox, Fubo (try for free)Join the discussion or email your thoughts: live@theathletic.comPortugal coach bought tickets to this match in December Getty ImagesWhen a World Cup match is in Miami featuring Colombia, you know it’s going to be a hard ticket. That’s because of the immense Colombian population in Miami and the greater Miami area. According to the Pew Research Center, Miami-Dade County has approximately 138,000 Colombians. That’s a lot! As our James Horncastle writes, Portugal’s coach Roberto Martinez had to purchase tickets for this match when they first went on sale in December, to be sure his family could attend. You can read more from James about what went into Portugal getting a sizeable contingent at this fixture, below.Quite the line of traffic already here ahead of Colombia vs Portugal at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.How important is Fernandes for Portugal Getty ImagesIn a non-Cristiano Ronaldo world, Bruno Fernandes would be the star player of this Portugal team.Off the back of an incredible season of creativity for Manchester United — he broke the Premier League assist record with 21 — Fernandes arrived at the World Cup in the best form of his career, and added another assist to his international tally against Uzbekistan.Driving through the heart of the pitch towards the end of the first half, the 31-year-old slipped the ball perfectly between Uzbekistan’s defenders to feed Ronaldo for his second goal of the game. The weight of the pass was superb, allowing Ronaldo to finish first time.While the location of the pass was different, it was an assist reminiscent of Fernandes’ pass for Matheus Cunha against Aston Villa in United’s 3-1 win in March. Executed to perfection, breaking defensive lines, and a pass that had a message on it for his team-mate: to finish one-v-one with the goalkeeper.Another delicious pass saw Fernandes dink the ball over Uzbekistan bodies at a Portugal free kick in the second half, rivalling his assist for the best pass of the game, but Ronaldo could not convert.Not only does Fernandes have a constant map in his head of the bodies around him, but he also has the technique to find his team-mates’ runs with laser-focused accuracy.Add that to his insatiable desire to win, and it is little wonder he is thought of as one of the best attacking midfielders in European football.How Ronaldo, Mendes fooled Uzbekistan Getty ImagesIn his pre-match news conference, Roberto Martinez — who, whatever you think of his abilities as a coach, has exceptional patience to continually answer questions about Cristiano Ronaldo in a measured fashion — spoke about how one of his captain’s qualities is that he acts as a decoy:💬 “Ronaldo opens up spaces in defences. The numbers support this. If you look at the last 32 games, he opens up more spaces than any other player.”It probably wasn’t quite what he had in mind, but it was clear that using Ronaldo to distract the Uzbek defence for Portugal’s second goal was a deliberate plan.A colossal roar went up in the stadium as soon as Ronaldo stood over the free kick, just outside the penalty area in the 17th minute, and you would imagine only a very few even noticed Nuno Mendes was also lining it up.After the PSG left-back had swept his shot into the bottom corner, Martinez had a massive ‘I love it when a plan comes together’ smile on his face and Ronaldo was frantically tapping his temple, as if to say ‘we outsmarted you all’.It makes perfect sense, harnessing the inevitable focus on Portugal’s biggest star and exploiting the lack of focus that it inspires in the opposition defence. It’s a useful strategy even when Ronaldo isn’t playing well or scoring goals.But when he is, it’s doubly worthwhile.Is Ronaldo back? Getty ImagesIt was difficult to identify the primary emotion Cristiano Ronaldo felt when he finally ended his goalscoring drought at major tournaments.It had been some time since he scored a penalty against Ghana in Portugal’s opening match at Qatar 2022, with 10 goalless games at World Cups and a Euros since then. For context, his old pal Lionel Messi had scored 11 World Cup goals since Ronaldo’s last one.The roar that followed his sixth-minute opener felt like a mixture of relief, delight and an awful lot of pent-up frustration. With Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland all scoring at least twice in each of their appearances, Ronaldo was being left behind. Not anymore.His two goals were brilliantly taken; the first involved excellent movement at the near post to beat a dozing Abdulla Abdullaev to Joao Cancelo’s low cross, while the second saw him peel off two defenders through on goal before finding the far corner with a smart low finish.The World Cup’s oldest ever outfield player became the first man to score at six World Cups, an exceptional feat of endurance, desire, longevity and brilliance.He was facing an overawed and inexperienced Uzbekistan defence, which must be taken into account, but given how it appears Ronaldo will play pretty much every minute for Portugal whatever the circumstances, it was an important breakthrough for their tournament hopes, as well as being a moment of World Cup history.How Portugal dominated Uzbekistan Getty ImagesThere was a lot of chatter after Portugal’s opening draw against DR Congo. Is this Portugal team worthy of its status as a contender to win the World Cup? Is Cristiano Ronaldo past his best? Well, at least for one match, Ronaldo quelled those fears against Uzbekistan. Ronaldo scored a brace, making him the first player to score at six World Cups. He also acted as a decoy that resulted in Nuno Mendes’ goal. It was world-class domination from Portugal over Uzbekistan, winning 5-0 and launching themselves back into the conversation as one of the contenders to win this World Cup. Munoz’s atonement Getty ImagesIt was a cruel deflection for DR Congo, not that the glimmer in Daniel Munoz’s eyes gave any indication of sympathy.Colombia had never played out a goalless draw in 23 World Cup matches but with just 15 minutes of this game remaining, a frustrating 0-0 looked the likeliest possibility.Then Jhon Cordoba fell to the ground in search of a penalty and the ball dribbled uncontested towards Munoz’s right-hand side, where the defender fired the ball towards the far corner — a tiny deflection of Steve Kapuadi’s boot completely wrong-footing Lionel Mpasi.Ultimately, the only shot Colombia managed to beat an inspired goalkeeper with, was one they did not direct themselves.Analysing Colombia’s win over DR Congo Getty ImagesIn the first 45 minutes on Wednesday, Colombia dominated the ball, the territory, and the crowd. They outshot DR Congo by 14 shots to two, completed more than double the number of passes, and were three times more successful in aerial duels.DR Congo’s midfield three were not able to match Colombia’s width, with one of James Rodriguez or Johan Mojica constantly available in the build-up and both players able to pick their next pass at will. Rodriguez almost played as an auxiliary right-back instead of an orthodox right-winger, dropping deep and dictating play.Yet Colombia only had their own wastefulness to blame for a goalless first half. Their inaccuracy kept the score goalless — particularly from Daniel Munoz, who had virtually the whole of the goal to aim at as he arrived unmarked at the back post in the fourth minute. Having opened the scoring for Colombia against Uzbekistan last week, the Crystal Palace right-back should have had the confidence to bury it.Instead, his shot was skewed off the outside of the post.DR Congo’s draw against Portugal showcased their ability to stay in a game they were second-best in — Colombia were beginning to repeat the same mistakes.How Colombia beat Congo Getty ImagesDR Congo may have frustrated Colombia for large portions of their previous group match, Los Cafeteros found a way to win thanks to Daniel Munoz’s goal. The Crystal Palace right-back now has five goals for his country, and his latest one sent Colombia through to the knockout stage at the 2026 World Cup.Portugal’s history at the World Cup Getty ImagesThis is the seventh consecutive time Portugal have reached the World Cup. Despite Cristiano Ronaldo now scoring at a record six of them, he still hasn’t been able to raise the famous trophy. With Ronaldo in their ranks, Portugal’s best finish was fourth in 2006. That was Ronaldo’s World Cup debut and while Portugal have never won the tournament, their best finish was third in 1966. Maybe this is the year Portugal break through. Colombia’s history at the World Cup Colombia (in red) lost out to hosts Brazil in 2014. Getty ImagesThis is the seventh appearance for Colombia at the World Cup. Known for their bright yellow shirts, Colombia have a good record at the world’s biggest football tournament.Colombia’s best result was a quarter-final appearance in 2014, before losing 2-1 to host nation Brazil. After not qualifying in 2022, it’s nice to have Colombia back on the world stage for the first time since 2018.A first meeting at the World Cup Getty ImagesBrazil versus Argentina. USA versus Mexico. When you think of those countries squaring off, historic rivalries come to mind because they’ve met many times in international football.Colombia and Portugal are making a different kind of history. This is the first time these two countries are facing each other at a World Cup, and this contest will decide who wins Group K.What a way to start a head-to-head record.How Group K looks entering final match day The AthleticColombia enter their final match in pole position to win Group K. With two wins, Colombia are already into the knockout stage at the World Cup. But a win or draw against Portugal will see them top Group K and secure a theoretically easier path through to the final. Portugal sit second after a win and a draw, and if they beat Colombia they will win Group K. But even a loss would not be the end of the world for Portugal, given their +5 goal difference.DR Congo desperately need three points against Uzbekistan after a draw and a loss in their first two matches. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan need a win over DR Congo to finish third and even then, their -7 goal difference is ugly and likely to see them eliminated bar a freak result. Tonight’s venue: Hard Rock Stadium Getty ImagesHard Rock Stadium is the host site for tonight’s match between Colombia and Portugal. Home of the Miami Dolphins in the NFL, Hard Rock Stadium has been officially rebranded as Miami Stadium for the World Cup. It has a history of hosting major sporting events, including the Miami Open ATP Tour event in tennis and the 2024 Copa America final, which Argentina won 1-0. The capacity of Hard Rock Stadium during the World Cup is 64,878.Join the conversation Getty ImagesThis is a massive final group stage fixture at the World Cup — and we would love to hear from YOU! What is the key player in this match? Which Cristiano Ronaldo will we see on the pitch? And who will come out on top of Group K? Join the Discuss tab at the top of the page if you want to chat with your fellow subscribers during the match. You can also email us at live@theathletic.com and we will publish the best of your submissions in our live coverage. Get excited, soccer fans! Join the conversation. Subscribe to The Athletic There is no better time to get a subscription to The Athletic.Don’t miss our wall-to-wall World Cup coverage, which will be especially important during the knockout stage. The NBA and NHL offseasons are in full swing and don’t forget about Wimbledon, the Open Championship and Formula 1 races that are upcoming. Subscribe here to The Athletic. How to watch Colombia vs Portugal Getty ImagesIn the US, Colombia vs Portugal will be broadcast by Fox. In the UK, you will find it on BBC One. You can also stream the game on Fubo (try for free). What time is kick-off? Getty ImagesColombia vs Portugal kicks off at 7:30pm ET. That is 4:30pm PT or 12:30am BST if you are living in the U.K. Welcome to our live coverage of Colombia vs Portugal Getty ImagesGreetings, soccer fans! Welcome to The Athletic’s live coverage of tonight’s group-stage match at the World Cup featuring Colombia and Portugal. This is a massive fixture. Colombia currently lead Group K with six points after two victories and they will want to finish top of the group, theoretically meaning a clearer route through the knockout stage. Portugal sit two points behind Colombia however, and can still win Group K by beating Colombia tonight. The stakes are high at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Follow our live coverage including build-up, play-by-play commentary from kick-off to final whistle, match analysis, opinions and reporting on the ground from our writers.