Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi remain the two brightest names in global football. Their rivalry has thrilled fans for nearly two decades, whether in club football or international friendlies. Although they have faced each other numerous times in club competitions — and even once in an international friendly in 2014 — the two legends have never met in a FIFA World Cup match, despite each having competed in five editions.
As both prepare for what is expected to be their final World Cup in 2026, anticipation is rising. Their nations, Portugal and Argentina, may finally cross paths on football’s biggest stage — and possibly before the semi-finals.
“𝑨 𝑴𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊–𝑹𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒅𝒐 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝑪𝒖𝒑 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔,” 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒚𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒙𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒅.
Possible Paths to a Historic Argentina–Portugal Encounter Ronaldo
Argentina and Portugal are not expected to face major obstacles in their group campaigns. With several possible routes across the knockout phase, the dream matchup could occur in different stages.
The most likely early meeting is the quarter-final in Kansas City on July 11, but only if both teams top their respective groups, then advance through the round of 32 and round of 16.
Argentina shares Group J with Algeria, Austria, and Jordan, while Portugal’s Group K includes Uzbekistan, Colombia, and the winner of the intercontinental play-off (New Caledonia, Jamaica, or Congo).
Another possibility arises if both teams finish second in their groups. In that case, they would collide in the round of 16 on July 6 in Dallas.
There is also a third scenario:
If Portugal wins their group and Argentina finishes third, the giants would face off in the round of 16 in Kansas City on July 3.
𝑨 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒅, “𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒓 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆, 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒅𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒖𝒆𝒍 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍’𝒔 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒔.”
A Rivalry That Nearly Crossed Paths Before
Messi and Ronaldo have been part of every World Cup since 2006. They came closest to meeting in the 2018 World Cup, where a quarter-final showdown seemed possible. However, Portugal was eliminated by Uruguay, while Argentina was knocked out by France, postponing the dream clash.
Now, with the 2026 tournament marking the sixth and final World Cup for both icons, Ronaldo and Messi, fans worldwide eagerly wait to see whether the long-awaited meeting finally becomes reality.
Also Read: FIFA Announces 2026 World Cup Dates and Group Match Lineups
