Copa do Mundo de 2026: escalações oficiais de Portugal x Uzbequistão, Leão no banco contra Cannavaro

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.

MUNICH, GERMANY – JUNE 04: Francisco Conceicao of Portugal celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Nations League 2025 semifinal match between Germany and Portugal at Munich Football Arena on June 04, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

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.

TASHKENT, UZBEKISTAN – MARCH 30: Fabio Cannavaro, Head Coach of Uzbekistan, reacts during the international friendly match between Uzbekistan and Venezuela on March 30, 2026 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. (Photo by Anvar Ilyasov/Getty Images)

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 Matchday 2 NRG Stadium Portugal Uzbekistan vs

Season Analytics

Portugal Positions Uzbekistan SEASON TOTALPOR HOME010010Last matches 17-06-2026 DR Congo D 1 - 1 17-06-2026 DR Congo D 1 - 1 SEASON TOTALUZB AWAY000001Last matches 1 - 3 L Colombia 18-06-2026