Is Cristiano Ronaldo playing today? Portugal star brought off the bench in World Cup quarterfinal vs Morocco

Dominic Booth

Is Cristiano Ronaldo playing today? Portugal star brought off the bench in World Cup quarterfinal vs Morocco image

It didn't take Cristiano Ronaldo long to grab the headlines during this FIFA World Cup, doing so before even playing a minute for Portugal thanks to his acrimonious fall-out with Manchester United and subsequent exit.

It feels quite surreal that Ronaldo is playing at a World Cup as an unattached player, without a club. But that didn't stop him putting himself back on the front pages when he did take to the field, netting a penalty to give Portugal the lead in their Group H opener versus Ghana.

Portugal were given a real fright by the African nation in that match, eventually running out 3-2 winners, as Joao Felix and Rafael Leao added to Ronaldo's penalty.

Ronaldo thought he had doubled his tally for the tournament with the opener against Uruguay but that goal was eventually awarded to Bruno Fernandes, who subsequently sealed Portugal's win and their place in the last 16 with a controversial added-time penalty.

Ronaldo was frustrated again as Portugal became the victims of another underdog shock in Qatar, losing 2-1 to South Korea in their final Group H match, and then shockingly left out of the starting lineup as Portugal romped to a 6-1 victory that Ronaldo only made a cameo contribution to. Instead, his replacement Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick to lead Portugal to victory.

Ronaldo was left out of the starting lineup, as head coach Fernando Santos decided against making significant changes after such a resounding performance. Ramos started ahead of Ronaldo, although the veteran striker was called off the subs' bench on 51 minutes, replacing Ruben Neves

All eyes are on the five-time Ballon d'Or winner in Qatar, as he chases that elusive World Cup title that would put the gloss on an astonishing career. His reaction to his benching has also garnered significant attention, and his mannerisms are watched closely as he attempts to remain a team player while also battling his inner emotions.

MORE: Watch every World Cup match live with fuboTV (U.S.-only free trial)

When is Ronaldo's next World Cup match?

Portugal now face surprise package of the tournament Morocco in the quarterfinals, as the Atlas Lions shocked Spain by beating them in a penalty shootout.

Ronaldo was brought off the bench with his team trailing 1-0, although it was to play alongside Ramos rather than replace him. The youngster earned the right to start again after his sensational performance in the Round of 16.

There was video footage of Ronaldo after the Switzerland game appearing to not celebrate with his teammates or thank the fans, indicating his displeasure with his involvement.

Portugal's quarterfinal match against Morocco is taking place on Saturday, December 10 at the Al Thumama Stadium.

Portugal knockout schedule 

Date Match Time (ET) Stadium
Sat, Dec. 10 Morocco vs. Portugal 10:00 a.m. Al Thumama Stadium
Wed, Dec. 14 Semifinals 2:00 p.m. Al Bayt Stadium
Sat, Dec. 17* Third Place Match 10:00 a.m. Khalifa International Stadium
Sun, Dec. 18 Final 10:00 a.m. Lusail Stadium

*Only in event of defeat in semifinals

Portugal vs Morocco start time

Here's how that kick off time against Morocco translates in time zones across the world:

Portugal vs. Morocco kickoff time

  Kickoff time
Qatar 18:00 (local)
USA 10:00 ET
Canada 10:00 ET
UK 15:00 GMT
Australia 02:00 AEDT*
India 20:30 IST
Hong Kong 23:00 HKT
Malaysia 23:00 MYT
Singapore 23:00 SGT
New Zealand 04:00 NZDT*

* Following day

Portugal vs Morocco live stream, TV channel

This quarterfinal clash will be played at Lusail Stadium. Here's how you can watch all the action in some of the major global territories.

  Date Time TV Channel Streaming
USA Sat, Dec. 10 10:00 ET Fox,
Telemundo
fuboTV,
Fox Sports site/app,
Telemundo Deportes site/app,
Peacock
Canada Sat, Dec. 10 10:00 ET TSN 1, CTV, RDS (French) TSN site/app, CTV app
RDS app
UK Sat, Dec. 10 15:00 GMT ITV, STV ITVX, STV Player
Australia Sun, Dec. 11 02:00 AEDT SBS SBS On Demand
India Sat, Dec. 10 20:30 IST Sports18 Voot, JioTV
Hong Kong Sat, Dec. 10 23:00 HKT Now TV (Ch. 616, 618) Now TV
Malaysia Sat, Dec. 10 23:00 MYT Astro FIFA World Cup 1 Astro GO
Singapore Sat, Dec. 10 23:00 SGT StarHub FIFA World Cup,
Singtel FIFA World Cup 141
Singtel TV GO, CAST,
StarHub TV+, MeWatch
New Zealand Sun, Dec. 11 04:00 NZDT Sky Sport 7 beIN Sports Sky Go, Sky Sport NOW

Dominic Booth

Dominic Booth Photo

Dominic joined the Sporting News in November 2022, initially working on our World Cup coverage as a freelance sub editor. He was previously a sport content editor and Man United writer at the Manchester Evening News and is a regular at both Old Traffords, football and cricket.