Chile to Play Portugal: Confirmed Friendlies & Spain Match Cancelled

Chile’s national football team will not play a previously announced friendly match against Spain, the president of the Chilean Football Association (ANFP), Pablo Milad, confirmed on Wednesday. The cancellation comes despite earlier reports suggesting a potential match in Puebla, Mexico, ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Milad stated that the agreement with Spain was never fully finalized. “The matter of Spain was never 100 percent certain,” he said, according to reporting from Bolavip. The Spanish national team reportedly received multiple offers, ultimately leading them to decline the match with Chile.

However, the Chilean team is now reportedly in discussions to schedule a friendly against Portugal, featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, in June. La Tercera reported that the agreement is contingent on finalizing the contract details, which are expected to be completed in the coming hours. This match emerged as the primary alternative after the Spanish match fell through.

Should the match against Portugal be confirmed, it would mark the first encounter between the two nations since Chile defeated Portugal in a penalty shootout during the 2017 Confederations Cup semi-final in Russia.

In addition to the potential match against Portugal, the Chilean national team has scheduled friendlies against Cabo Verde and New Zealand in March. A tour of North America is similarly planned for September, with matches against the United States and Mexico already arranged, according to Felipe Correa, the ANFP’s director of national teams.