The Portugal World Cup 2026 squad is in full flow after the nation qualified at the last moment.
The current Nations League champions had to wait until the final matchday of the World Cup 2026 qualifiers, but they hammered Luxembourg 9-1, easing any concerns they might have to rely on the play-offs – and will now have one of the most exciting squads of the tournament, and be one of the favourites for the competition.
Part of that excitement arises from the new talent coming through, such as Rodrigo Mora, who was profiled recently by FFT's Joe Donnohue in our The Boy's A Bit Special series. The Portuguese youngster awaits his first senior cap and was called up this month, but had to drop out of the squad through injury.
It's a similar tale at the other end of the age spectrum, as the seemingly everlasting Cristiano Ronaldo, who is ranked at no.4 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest players of all time, was forced to miss these upcoming friendlies with a hamstring injury.
We suspect he'll find a way back for the World Cup this summer which, at 41 years old is surely going to be his last.
It doesn't all hinge on Ronaldo though, as the squad boasts a hefty midfield including Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha and emerging talents Joao Neves and Mateus Fernandes.
However, the squad will naturally still be feeling the effects of the devastating passing of Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash with his brother Andre Silva in July 2025, with the World Cup set to be the first major tournament without him.
Squad
Portugal World Cup 2026 squad: The March selection
- GK: Jose Sa (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
- GK: Rui Silva (Sporting CP)
- GK: Ricardo Velho (Genclerbirligi)
- DF: Joao Cancelo (Barcelona)
- DF: Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain)
- DF: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United)
- DF: Goncalo Inacio (Sporting CP)
- DF: Antonio Silva (Benfica)
- DF: Renato Veiga (Villarreal)
- DF: Tomas Araujo (Benfica)
- MF: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
- MF: Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal)
- MF: Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain)
- MF: Joao Neves (Paris Saint-Germain)
- MF: Matheus Nunes (Manchester City)
- MF: Samu Costa (Mallorca)
- MF: Mateus Fernandes (West Ham United)
- FW: Joao Felix (Al-Nassr)
- FW: Goncalo Guedes (Real Sociedad)
- FW: Goncalo Ramos (Paris Saint-Germain)
- FW: Pedro Neto (Chelsea)
- FW: Francisco Trincao (Sporting CP)
- FW: Francisco Conceicao (Juventus)
- FW: Ricardo Horta (Braga)
- FW: Pedro Goncalves (Sporting CP)
- FW: Paulinho (Toluca)
Fixtures and results
Fixtures
- March 28, 2026: Mexico vs Portugal, Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico
- March 31, 2026: United States vs Portugal, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, United States
- June 6, 2026: Portugal vs Chile, Portugal
- June 23, 2026: Portugal vs Uzbekistan, NRG Stadium, Houston, United States
- June 27, 2026: Colombia vs Portugal, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, United States
- September 24, 2026: Portugal vs Wales, Portugal
- September 27, 2026: Norway vs Portugal, Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway
- October 1, 2026: Denmark vs Portugal, Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark
- October 4, 2026: Portugal vs Norway, Portugal
- November 14, 2026: Portugal vs Denmark, Portugal
- November 17, 2026: Wales vs Portugal, Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
Recent results
- November 16, 2025: Portugal 9–1 Armenia, Estádio do Dragão, Porto, Portugal
- November 13, 2025: Republic of Ireland 2–0 Portugal, Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
- October 14, 2025: Portugal 2–2 Hungary, Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal
- October 11, 2025: Portugal 1–0 Republic of Ireland, Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal
- September 9, 2025: Hungary 2–3 Portugal, Puskás Aréna, Budapest, Hungary
- September 6, 2025: Armenia 0–5 Portugal, Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium, Yerevan, Armenia
- June 8, 2025: Portugal 2–2 Spain (a.e.t., 5–3 pens), Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
- June 4, 2025: Germany 1–2 Portugal, Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
- March 23, 2025: Portugal 5–2 Denmark (a.e.t., 5–3 agg.), Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal
- March 20, 2025: Denmark 1–0 Portugal, Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark
Manager
Who is Portugal's manager?
The Portuguese national team is Roberto Martinez's second foray into international management after a spell in charge of Belgium.
With the Red Devils, he reached the 2018 World Cup semi-final, eventually losing to champions France. His performances at the delayed 2020 Euros and 2022 World Cup were far below par, however.
In June 2025 he added the Nations League to his trophy cabinet, alongside the FA Cup which he won with Wigan, and the EFL League One trophy, which he won with Swansea in 2008.
Portugal's Star Player
Who is Portugal's star player?
Not much needs to be said about Cristiano Ronaldo. He is ranked at no.4 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest players of all time, no.2 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest Real Madrid players of all time and is a five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Ronaldo has won almost everything there is to win, with just the World Cup eluding him so far. This will be his sixth attempt at securing the ultimate gong in football, and will likely be his last chance to do so.
He's now 41 years old, and assuming he continues scoring at his current rate, he'll be edging closer to scoring 1000 professional goals.
