World Cup match recap

Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup career ends as Spain beats Portugal in Arlington

Portugal v Spain: Round of 16 - FIFA World Cup 2026

Cristiano Ronaldo #7 of Portugal shoots and misses a goal in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between Portugal and Spain at Dallas Stadium on July 6.

Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo walked off the pitch in Dallas Stadium after his final World Cup match for Portugal with a stoic look on his face and only the slightest hint of emotion. There was a brief wave to acknowledge cheering fans, and the same feeling he has had after past losses.

“Sad — it’s normal after being eliminated like this,” said Ronaldo, who briefly shielded his eyes with his right hand after the match.

The sixth and final World Cup for the 41-year-old superstar ended with a 1-0 loss to border rival Spain in a round of 16 game on Monday, July 6.

“I’ve given everything, I’ve given my best, and I leave with a clear conscience,” he said. “This is soccer, this is life for a soccer player. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.”

Ronaldo, the only player to score goals in six World Cups in a row and the career leader in international goals with 146, said the day before that he hoped it wouldn't be his final match in this run and wanted to enjoy it to the fullest.

But he reiterated then — and again after the loss to Spain — that this was his last time in the tournament that's played every four years. The deepest he ever went in the World Cup was the semifinals in his 2006 debut.

As for his other future plans, he wasn't ready to say.

“Yes, it was my last World Cup, but everything else I’ll have time to think about, to be with my family, and not make any decision hot-headed and move on with life,” he said.

Portugal v Spain: Round of 16 - FIFA World Cup 2026 Cristiano Ronaldo #7 of Portugal shows dejection after the team's 0-1 defeat in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between Portugal and Spain. Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images

Ronaldo was denied a goal in the first half against Spain when record-setting goalkeeper Unai Simón made an impressive leaping stop. That was one of his three shots.

Two of those were on target, including the one on which Simón was still in midair when he reached back to grab the ball with both hands. Ronaldo got off a backward kick with his right foot after a header by teammate João Félix bounced off Simón’s shoulder.

“He is an example, a role model to follow. This is somebody that we need to celebrate. We’re talking about a football icon,” Portugal coach Roberto Martínez said in translated remarks. “There aren’t too many Cristiano Ronaldos out there. I think we need to thank him. His dream was to win the World Cup and he did this as an amazing example in the locker room.”

Portugal had never won a major international tournament before Ronaldo. The first was the 2016 European Championship, before adding Nations League titles in 2019 and 2025.

Ronaldo's finale on soccer’s biggest stage came eight years after he recorded a World Cup hat trick at age 33. That made him the oldest to have one, and that stood until then-38-year-old Lionel Messi scored three goals for Argentina in a 3-0 win over Algeria on June 16.

The hat trick for Ronaldo came in a 3-3 draw with Spain in a group stage opener that's considered one of the tournament's best matches, although both powers didn’t reach the knockout stage.

He scored three goals in this World Cup, and his 11 overall are tied for ninth on the career list.

portugal spain world cup ronaldo fifa world cup 2026 fifa world cup

Weekend Event Planner

These are the 12 best things to do in Fort Worth this weekend

Photo by Joelle Grace Taylor

Teddy Swims will play at Dickies Arena on October 30, 2026.

Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, which means a lot of people will be partaking in trick-or-treating, parties, or haunted houses this weekend. If you can make time for other events, choices include two theater productions, an opera star in concert, five other concerts, screenings of a new film, a special theatrical event, a symphony concert, and the opening of a new art exhibition.

Photo by Joelle Grace Taylor

Teddy Swims will play at Ariat Arena on October 30.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. If you want more options, check out the calendar for an even longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, October 29

Shakespeare Live presents Macbeth
Shakespeare Live in Arlington is celebrating Halloween with the bloody good show of Macbeth, Shakespeare's classic tragedy about a Scottish general who murders his way to the throne and is haunted by supernatural visions. The outdoor production, which will have three performances through Saturday at Levitt Pavilion, will be complemented by the inaugural Shakespeare RenFest, a community arts event on Saturday afternoon that will feature live entertainment, artists, craftspeople, food trucks, performers, and Renaissance-inspired festivities.

Fort Worth Opera presents Jeanine De Bique in concert
Internationally renowned Trinidadian soprano Jeanine De Bique comes to Fort Worth for a one-night-only recital. Appearing with Belgian pianist Aaron Wajnberg, De Bique brings her artistry to an intimate concert setting that places her voice - and her singular interpretive voice - in full focus. The concert takes place at Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU.

Tarrant County College South presents GHOSTlight Gallery '26
Every theater has a ghost. Some theaters have several. That’s why we keep a ghost light on. Ghostlight is a single electric light left burning on the stage of an empty, dark theater. Some superstitions say that the light keeps the theater ghosts happy, so they won’t ruin a production. This production is about what happens when a group of college students decide to create their own Halloween show in an empty theater on a college campus. Will the ghosts stay happy? The production will have three performances through Saturday at Tarrant County College South.

Morrissey in concert
Regarded as one of the most influential figures in British pop, Morrissey has released four albums as lead singer of The Smiths and 14 solo studio albums, including the new Make-Up Is a Lie. Of course, he's also known for his propensity to cancel concerts, if not whole tours, so keep your fingers crossed that he'll show up for this date at newly-named Ariat Arena, which will be very busy this weekend.

Friday, October 30

Magnolia at the Modern: Fatherland
At the start of the Cold War in 1949, the writer Thomas Mann (Hanns Zischler) and his daughter Erika (Sandra Hüller) - an actress, writer, and rally driver with nerves of steel - embark on a road trip across a ruined and newly divided Germany. Traveling in a black Buick cruiser from the Allied-occupied city of Frankfurt to Soviet-controlled Weimar, the celebrated author must contend with the changes to his fractured homeland after 16 years of exile - and confront the deep tensions within his own family. The film will screen seven times through Sunday at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

Hip Pocket Theatre presents The 4th Annual Twilight Soiree
The 4th Annual Twilight Soiree is an ever-evolving immersive performance created by the community to explore the natural landscape as a theatrical space. With the dying sun as the light and grassy berms as the set, audiences will gather at twilight to be led on an immersive journey through installations, vignettes, soundscapes, and uncanny realms ... all performed by the community using masks, puppetry, sound, and light - nothing more. The event repeats nightly through Sunday at Hip Pocket Theatre.

Teddy Swims in concert
Singer-songwriter Teddy Swims had been trying to make a name for himself in the music industry for four years before he broke through in 2023 thanks to the hit song "Lose Control." That sent sales of his debut album, I've Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 1), soaring, and he went even higher with his 2025 follow-up, I've Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 2). At this concert at Ariat Arena, he'll give fans a preview of his new album, Ugly, which will be released in January.

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents "Beethoven’s Pastoral"
Beethoven found inspiration for his “Pastoral” Symphony on long, rambling walks in the countryside. The composer weaves shepherd tunes and bird calls into the music in a celebration of nature, amplified in these performances with artwork from the Kimbell Art Museum’s landscape collection. The concert will also feature American composer Missy Mazzoli’s ballet suite Orpheus Undone and Benjamin Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings. The concert, conducted by Jane Glover and featuring tenor Ian Bostridge, will have three performances through Sunday at Bass Performance Hall.

Easton Corbin in concert
Country singer Easton Corbin was among the fastest rising artists in the genre in the early 2010s, releasing three albums in five years, including 2015's About to Get Real, which went to No. 1 on the Billboard Country charts. After a long dormant period, he finally released his first new album in eight years, Let's Do Country Right, in 2023. He'll play at Billy Bob's Texas.

Saturday, October 31

Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth presents "In the Making: Stories from the Collection"
"In the Making: Stories from the Collection" is an exhibition exploring modern and contemporary art through the lens of the Modern’s collection. The evolving exhibition will feature 10 stories that unfold over the course of its run, tracing various formal and conceptual themes of the past 80 years, including how artists use color, mark-making, materials, the figure, and inspiration from the land. The exhibition will remain on display through August 15, 2027.

Here Come The Mummies in concert
Here Come The Mummies is a funk band best known for its live performances and anonymous band members. Supposedly comprised of various professional musicians from Nashville, the group has released 10 albums in their career, most recently House Party in 2022. Timed perfectly to take place on Halloween, the concert will be at Billy Bob's Texas.

Sunday, November 1

MercyMe in concert
Christian band MercyMe has been one of the biggest acts in the genre over the past 25 years, claiming nine No. 1 albums on the Billboard Christian charts and 20 No. 1 songs. One of their biggest songs, "I Can Only Imagine," was the inspiration for the 2018 film of the same name. They will play at Ariat Arena in support of their 2025 album, Wonder & Awe, joined by Jeremy Camp, Tim Timmons, and Sam Wesley.

theater opera music concerts movies symphony exhibitions-visual-arts museums event-planner