Colombia holds Portugal to 0-0, wins Group K and gets Ghana next

Colombia held Portugal to a 0-0 draw at Miami Stadium and finished first in Group K with seven points, earning a round-of-32 meeting with Ghana. Portugal ended second on five points and drew the tougher path forward against Croatia.

The match, listed by FIFA as the 71st game of the 2026 World Cup, was played on June 27, 2026, in Miami and carried the kind of pressure that comes with the tournament’s expanded format. With 48 teams and 104 matches, every point in the group stage has sharper consequences, and Colombia’s result kept the Tricolor on the cleaner side of the bracket.

Colombia did more than survive against Cristiano Ronaldo’s side. The team matched Portugal possession for possession and remained composed deep into the final minutes, when Davinson Sánchez had a goal ruled out for a tight offside call. The decision preserved the stalemate and left Colombia with the group win it had already positioned itself to claim through a disciplined three-match campaign.

The payoff was immediate in the bracket. Croatia’s 2-1 win over Ghana in the other decisive Group K result set up Colombia’s next opponent, while Portugal was pushed into a showdown with Croatia. For Colombia, the outcome confirmed that a result against a traditional European power can carry real strategic value: finishing first changed the route through the knockout rounds and avoided an early meeting with Croatia.

That is the clearest evidence yet that Colombia is more than a passive survivor in this tournament. By standing level with Portugal and turning a draw into top spot, the team showed the control and resilience that separate a group-stage qualifier from a side that can still be standing late in the knockout bracket.