Portugal World Cup 2026: Is this the year for Cristiano Ronaldo and company?

One last crack at it for Cristiano Ronaldo? Given that he's now 41, we thought Qatar would be his final chance at winning the World Cup but he is back at his sixth World Cup for another bite of the cherry. 

He has a real chance this time around too, with this stacked Portugal squad one of the strongest at the World Cup. Below you can find my Portugal World Cup 2026 preview, along with their squad news and my prediction for how they will fare.

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Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto), Jose Sa (Wolves), Rui Silva (Sporting).

Defenders: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Matheus Nunes (Manchester City), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Nelson Semedo (Fenerbahce), Joao Cancelo (Barcelona), Nuno Mendes (Paris St-Germain), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting), Renato Veiga (Villarreal), Tomas Araujo (Benfica).

Midfielders: Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal), Samu Costa (Mallorca), Joao Neves (Paris St-Germain), Vitinha (Paris St-Germain), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City).

Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr), Joao Felix (Al-Nassr), Francisco Trincao (Sporting), Francisco Conceicao (Juventus), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Rafael Leao (AC Milan), Goncalo Guedes (Real Sociedad), Goncalo Ramos (Paris St-Germain).

Portugal won their qualification group to book their spot at the World Cup, and let’s not forget that they won the Nations League last summer, beating Spain in the final and Germany in the semis. 

Just look at the squad that Roberto Martinez has picked for the World Cup. It is world class. Diogo Costa is an experienced international goalkeeper, while the defence features Manchester City duo Matheus Nunes and Ruben Dias, Barcelona’s Joao Cancelo and PSG star Nuno Mendes. Renato Veiga is also establishing himself as a top quality centre back for Villarreal, and could have a big tournament. 

The midfield is probably the best at the tournament. Bernardo Silva has been superb this season, Joao Neves and Vitinha are running the show at PSG, and Bruno Fernandes looks better than ever, having broken the Premier League assist record. I don’t think another nation can match those four, with Fernandes or Silva able to feature in the attack.

World Cup Odds

There’s elite competition for places there with Pedro Neto, Rafael Leao, Goncalo Guedes, Goncalo Ramos, Joao Felix and Francisco Trincao all competing for places along with captain Ronaldo. 

Martinez has plenty of international experience with Belgium and has now been in charge of Portugal for over three years, winning 26 of his 38 games in charge. They lost on penalties to France at the quarter-final stage of Euro 2024, having drawn 0-0, and I think they can match any other side at this tournament. 

I’m really positive about their chances, especially given that their group looks so simple. Colombia are tough, but Uzbekistan and DR Congo should provide two chances to rack up the goals for Ronaldo and Co. 

Group K Fixtures:

17 June 1pm local (6pm BST) - vs DR Congo (Houston)

23 June 1pm local (6pm BST) - vs Uzbekistan (Houston)

27 June 8.30pm local (28 June 12.30am BST) - vs Colombia (Miami)

Key Player: Bruno Fernandes

Manchester United’s captain is Portugal’s most important player, sorry Cristiano. We aren’t sure what level CR7 is playing at right now and even though he might get a few chances to siu at this tournament. He’s still chasing his first World Cup knockout goal, and if he gets it, it will likely be assisted by Fernandes. 

Twenty-one Premier League assists meant Bruno won the FWA Footballer of the Year award, while he could well win the PFA Award as well. He is going to be able to stamp his mark on this team, and if Martinez can make the most of him, I think he could make this tournament his own. 

Football Odds

Prediction: Finalists

Yep. I’m going big on Portugal this summer and I think there is a real chance that they win the World Cup for the very first time. We’ve seen consistency from them under Martinez, we’ve seen them beat the other big nations and they have one of the best squads in world football. 

There’s not many reasons to doubt them at this point. Their group is simple and they should win three out of three, giving them a favourable draw in the knockouts. I’ve got them beating Iran in the last 32 and Colombia in the last 16, as they avoid any major nation until the last eight. 

There, I foresee a Messi vs Ronaldo match up, and I believe Portugal are far stronger than the ageing holders this time around. A semi-final with England awaits and that is a 50/50 game for me, but I think Portugal have more match-winners, and then a potential final against France or Spain. 

I think they can win the whole thing, but I’ll predict them to reach the final. 

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