Portugal has announced its full 26-player squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It’s the ninth time the country has qualified for the FIFA World Cup. Portugal’s best performance came in their very first FIFA World Cup in 1966. Seleção das Quinas claimed third place in England. In their most recent World Cup appearance in 2022, Portugal’s run came to an end in the quarter-finals with a narrow defeat against Morocco.
Head coach Roberto Martinez announced the full squad earlier today. The captain and all-time goal scorer (143) for the country is the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo. The 41-year-old will play his sixth and final World Cup with Portugal. He is also the leader in caps (226) for the country. He is the absolute superstar in a squad with many other world-class players. Bruno Fernandes, João Neves, and Bernardo Silva are other key players in the squad.
Head coach Roberto Martínez included goalkeeper Ricardo Velho as a 27th squad member strictly for training purposes. He will not feature on the matchday bench. Martinez also revealed that the “+1” on the list is a tribute to Diogo Jota. The Liverpool forward tragically lost his life in an accident last year.
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto), José Sá (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Rui Silva (Sporting CP)
Defenders: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Matheus Nunes (Manchester City), Nélson Semedo (Fenerbahçe), João Cancelo (Barcelona), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Gonçalo Inácio (Sporting CP), Renato Veiga (Villarreal), Rúben Dias (Manchester City), Tomás Araújo (Benfica)
Midfielders: Rúben Neves (Al-Hilal), Samú Costa (Mallorca), João Neves (PSG), Vitinha (PSG), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
Forwards: João Félix (Al Nassr), Trincão (Sporting CP), Francisco Conceição (Juventus), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Rafael Leão (AC Milan), Gonçalo Guedes (Real Sociedad), Gonçalo Ramos (PSG), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr)
Portugal qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in a group with the Republic of Ireland, Hungary, and Armenia. Portugal opened their campaign with three straight wins, meaning a victory at home against Hungary would officially seal their qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. After an early goal from Hungary, Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice for the Portuguese.
However, an equalizer from Hungary’s superstar Dominik Szoboszlai in stoppage time meant that Portugal’s qualification was put on hold. A month later in Ireland, Cristiano Ronaldo showed his frustration. After going 2-0 behind, he struck Dara O’Shea with an elbow. Ronaldo received a red card and was suspended for the final game in Porto against Armenia. Unfazed by Ronaldo’s absence, Portugal delivered a masterclass at home, crushing Armenia 9–1 to seal their World Cup spot.
Portugal is part of Group K. The Portuguese open their World Cup on June 17 in Houston, Texas, against DR Congo. Six days later, they take on debutant Uzbekistan in the same stadium where they played their opening game of the tournament. For their final group stage match, they travel to Miami, Florida, to take on Colombia on June 27. The two group winners and the eight best third-placed teams from each group will advance to the next stage.
Portugal Schedule
Marcel Dorff Marcel Dorff covers Mixed Martial Arts & Soccer for Heavy.com. He has covered MMA on a professional level since 2022. More about Marcel Dorff
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