Portugal World Cup 2026 preview: Players to watch, group matches and squad
Portugal are hugely talented but are led by a fading Cristiano Ronaldo and are still grieving the loss of Diogo Jota. Previous World Cup appearances
Portugal are hugely talented but are led by a fading Cristiano Ronaldo and are still grieving the loss of Diogo Jota. Previous World Cup appearances: 8 Best performance: Third place (1966) First appearance: 1966 (England) Top goal scorer: Eusebio (9) Most appearances: Cristiano Ronaldo (22) Player to watch: Cristiano Ronaldo FIFA world ranking: 5 Portugal come into yet another tournament dominated by the question of Cristiano Ronaldo and whether the veteran and his side can finally win the one major trophy that has eluded them in his final World Cup. Even in the 2022 edition, there were many questions over whether Portugal are worse with their record goalscorer in the lineup. While those concerns have hardly abated in the intervening four years, Ronaldo was a prominent part of qualifying and seems nailed on to start under boss Roberto Martinez if he is fit. With or without Ronaldo, this Portugal team – playing in their seventh consecutive World Cup – is richly talented, led by self-belief and genuine contenders to lift the trophy. Martinez urges Portugal to ‘fight for Diogo Jota’s dream’ Portugal are still grieving the loss of forward Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash last summer. His absence will be sorely felt on and off the pitch. Martinez said he considered Jota to be a “plus one forever” in a tribute to the player. “The final list includes 27 names plus one,” Martinez said. “To lose Diogo Jota was an unforgettable moment and a very difficult moment. “But the next day it was a responsibility for all of us to fight for Diogo Jota’s dream and for the example that he was in our national team. The spirit, the strength, the example of Diogo Jota, the plus one.
He will be the plus one forever.” Ronaldo’s last World Cup dance At this point, Ronaldo is not Portugal’s “player to watch” because he is the best player, as the 41-year-old striker has long been a fading force at elite level – it’s more because of his outsized status. No one doubts the historic greatness of CR7 – he leads Portugal’s and international football’s all-time scoring charts with a staggering 143 goals. But questions abound over his fitness and his discipline. He missed Portugal’s friendlies in March with a hamstring issue, and he’s lucky to be even available to play for Portugal in the group stage after he received a red card against Ireland during qualifying for violent conduct. The typical three-match ban for such behaviour was mysteriously reduced to one game by UEFA, which he has now served. His recent big tournament performances have been poor. He scored just once at the 2022 World Cup and failed to score at all at Euro 2024, despite starting all five games. Managing his workload in the sapping summer heat of Houston, Miami and elsewhere will be a challenge, and there are the tactical concerns – Portugal can look more dangerous without the less mobile Ronaldo up front. But if Ronaldo is fit, it is hard to see how this all-time great and Portugal’s captain will be left out, and he will relish the opportunity to show that he still has what it takes during his World Cup swansong. He also has more records in sight. Ronaldo needs two goals to surpass Eusebio’s World Cup record of nine for Portugal. “When we talk about Cristiano Ronaldo, we talk about two players,” Martinez said. “We talk about the icon of world soccer and we talk about the player, our captain, who has the same demands as the other players, the competitiveness to be in the national team.
The BriefWire