Milan forward Rafael Leao is on the Portugal bench, but Joao Felix and Cristiano Ronaldo seek the first World Cup win of 2026 against Fabio Cannavaro’s Uzbekistan.
It kicks off at the Houston Stadium at 18.00 UK time (19.00 CEST) for Group K.
Both teams had a difficult start to the tournament in the USA, Mexico and Canada, so are eager to get their first victory this evening.
Portugal stuttered to a surprising 1-1 draw against Congo DR, with Yoane Wissa cancelling out the early Joao Neves goal.
Former Juventus player Cristiano Ronaldo came in for a lot of criticism from some of the Portuguese fans due to his performance, but coach Roberto Martinez sticks with the legend in his starting XI.
Instead, both Milan’s Rafael Leao and Francisco Conceicao of Juventus remain on the bench, but the big shock is former Milan flop Joao Felix stepping in, sending Bernardo Silva to the touchline.
Uzbekistan are in their first ever World Cup and their coach is Italian Cannavaro, who of course lifted this trophy as a player for the Azzurri in 2006.
His opener was a 3-1 defeat to Colombia, but the third goal was only scored deep into stoppages, having temporarily drawn level.
Like Martinez, Cannavaro is also making some changes to the starting XI, with ex-Roma and Genoa striker Eldor Shomurodov still wearing the captain’s armband.
Manchester City defender Abdukodir Khusanov plays in the back three, but there are quite a few other adjustments, including new goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov.
Portugal vs. Uzbekistan line-ups
Portugal: Diogo Costa; Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Veiga, Nuno Mendes; Joao Neves, Vitinha, Fernandes; Pedro Neto, Ronaldo, Joao Felix
Uzbekistan: Nematov; Khusanov, Abdullaev, Ashurmatov; Karimov, Xamrobekov, Shukurov, Nasrullaev; Fayzullayev, Ganiev; Shomurodov
23-06-2026 18:00 
Portugal
Uzbekistan
Season Analytics
Portugal
Uzbekistan
Last matches
| 17-06-2026 |
DR Congo
|
D |
1 — 1
|
Last matches
|
1 — 3
|
L |
Colombia
|
 |
18-06-2026 |
Portugal
Uzbekistan
Starting lineups
Substitutes
