Cristiano Ronaldo exits World Cup as Spain defeats Portugal, awaits winner of USA-Belgium

Will Cain enthusiastically discusses FIFA's decision to overturn U.S. soccer star Folarin Balogun's red card, allowing him to play. This decision, upheld after rejecting Belgium's appeal, sparks outrage from the Royal Belgian Football Association. Cain frames the match as the U.S. versus "the world," highlighting the controversy.

Cristiano Ronaldo's time representing Portugal at the FIFA World Cup may have come to an end in Dallas on Monday afternoon, as Spain advanced to the quarterfinals, 1-0, at their expense.

Mikel Merino came off Spain’s bench and electrified the World Cup crowd in stoppage time during the second half when he finally broke the 0-0 tie for the decisive goal past Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

Ronaldo, who never knocked on Spain’s doorstep in this match – no team has as they have yet to give up a goal in this tournament – stared into the crowd after a few desperation attempts weren’t good enough for Portugal as the final whistle rang out.

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Mikel Merino of Spain celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between Portugal and Spain at Dallas Stadium on July 6, 2026 in Arlington, United States. (Torbjorn Tande/DeFodi Images/DeFodi)

Ronaldo played in his fifth World Cup, and though there was some heated debate about whether he should be starting for this squad, he leaves perhaps his last tournament of his illustrious career with three more goals on this stage under his belt.

While Ronaldo and his Portuguese teammates think about what could’ve been, Spain will await the winner of Team USA and Belgium, which will play their Round of 16 match in Seattle on Monday night.

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