Portugal 2026 World Cup Preview - Last Chance for Cristiano Ronaldo

Matthew Marshall

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Last updated: Thu 11 Jun 2026 17:35

Matthew Marshall 1 hour ago

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Portugal are among the favourites to win the 2026 World Cup
Key players include Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo
Roberto Martinez's side are in Group K alongside Colombia

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 143 goals in 228 appearances for Portugal (Getty)

Portugal head to the 2026 World Cup as one of the contenders to win the title. Armed with a gifted squad spearheaded by Cristiano Ronaldo, they a capable of a deep run in North America.

World Cup History
The Road to 2026 - Final Day Thrashing
The Manager - Roberto Martinez
The Squad - Midfield Strength
Players to Watch
Group K Schedule and Path to the Final
2026 World Cup Winner Odds
Portugal Stage of Elimination Odds
Ronaldo on Top for Portugal
Ronaldo a Popular Pick

The Seleção are favourites to win a group that contains Colombia. Roberto Martinez's side will surely reach the knockout rounds where the big guns await.

World Cup History

Portugal's World Cup debut in 1966 was unforgettable, Eusébio hitting a hat-trick in a 5-3 quarter-final victory over North Korea. They ran into England in the semi-finals, Bobby Charlton inspiring the Three Lions to a 2-1 win at Wembley.

It took 40 years and a golden generation featuring Luis Figo and a young Cristiano Ronaldo to replicate that run, securing a fourth-place finish at Germany 2006.

The Seleção got to the quarter-finals at Qatar 2022, going out after a 1-0 defeat to Morocco.

Year	Host	Stage Reached
1966	England	Third Place
1986	Mexico	Group Stage
2002	South Korea/Japan	Group Stage
2006	Germany	Fourth Place
2010	South Africa	Round of 16
2014	Brazil	Group Stage
2018	Russia	Round of 16
2022	Qatar	Quarter-finals

The Road to 2026 - Final Day Thrashing

Portugal won their opening three World Cup qualifiers before a 2-2 draw against Hungary and 2-0 defeat in Ireland took Group F to the final matchday.

It was a memorable match, Joao Neves and Bruno Fernandes both hitting hat-tricks in a 9-1 victory against Armenia.

Since wrapping up qualification, Portugal drew 0-0 in Mexico and won 2-0 in the United States. They returned home to play two more friendlies, 2-1 victories against Chile and Nigeria.

The Manager - Roberto Martinez

Roberto Martinez built his reputation in England, winning the FA Cup with Wigan in 2013 before a three-year stint at Everton.

The Spaniard spent six years steering Belgium’s golden generation, guiding them to a historic third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup. His tenure ended after a disappointing group-stage exit in 2022.

Martinez took over the Portuguese hot seat, winning the 2025 Nations League title after defeating Germany and Spain in the finals.

The Squad - Midfield Strength

Portugal have one of the most complete squads at the World Cup with their primary strength in midfield.

Vitinha and Joao Neves are coming off another successful season at PSG, winning back-to-back Champions League titles.

Ruben Dias provides leadership in central defence while the full-back positions are stacked, led by Joao Cancelo and Nuno Mendes.

Bruno Fernandes is an elite playmaker and Cristiano Ronaldo is the top goalscorer in international history.

Pos	Player	Age	Club
GK	Diogo Costa	26	Porto
GK	Jose Sa	33	Wolverhampton
GK	Rui Silva	32	Sporting CP
DF	Ruben Dias	29	Manchester City
DF	Joao Cancelo	32	Barcelona
DF	Nelson Semedo	32	Fenerbahce
DF	Nuno Mendes	23	Paris Saint-Germain
DF	Diogo Dalot	27	Manchester United
DF	Goncalo Inacio	24	Sporting CP
DF	Matheus Nunes	27	Manchester City
DF	Renato Veiga	22	Villarreal
DF	Tomas Araujo	24	Benfica
MF	Bernardo Silva	31	Manchester City
MF	Bruno Fernandes	31	Manchester United
MF	Ruben Neves	29	Al Hilal
MF	Vitinha	26	Paris Saint-Germain
MF	Joao Neves	21	Paris Saint-Germain
MF	Samu Costa	25	Mallorca
FW	Cristiano Ronaldo	41	Al Nassr
FW	Joao Felix	26	Al -Nassr
FW	Rafael Leao	27	Milan
FW	Goncalo Guedes	29	Real Sociedad
FW	Goncalo Ramos	24	Paris Saint-Germain
FW	Pedro Neto	26	Chelsea
FW	Francisco Trincao	26	Sporting CP
FW	Francisco Conceicao	23	Juventus

Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Diogo Costa; Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Renato Veiga, Nuno Mendes; Joao Neves, Vitinha; Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Pedro Neto; Cristiano Ronaldo

Players to Watch

Ruben Dias: The Manchester City center-back is the defensive anchor of the side. His reading of the game and leadership are vital in keeping Portugal's defensive line organised.

Vitinha: Vitinha has blossomed into a world class midfielder at Paris Saint-Germain and has been a big reason for their success. His passing accuracy and ability to dictate tempo makes him a key player.

Bruno Fernandes: The Manchester United captain is one of, if not the best playmaker in world football. His ability to produce goals and assists makes him indispensable to unlocking defences.

Cristiano Ronaldo: Heading into a record-breaking sixth World Cup at 41-years-old, international football's all-time leading scorer remains the focal point of the attack.

Ronaldo lacks the pace of his younger years, but his elite positioning, aerial dominance and penalty box instincts make him a unique threat.

Group K Schedule and Path to the Final

Portugal are in Group K, beginning with two winnable games in Houston where they face DR Congo and Uzbekistan. They end in Miami against Colombia, the match likely to decide who takes top spot.

Date	Opponent	Venue
June 17	DR Congo	NRG Stadium, Houston
June 23	Uzbekistan	NRG Stadium, Houston
June 27	Colombia	Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens

Winning the group will see the Seleção take on a third placed team before a Round of 16 clash against the Group B winners, likely to be Switzerland or Canada. That path includes a quarter-final clash that is set to be against Argentina.

Finishing second in the group will set up a match against England or Croatia. Portugal would be likely to face Spain in the Round of 32 before a winnable quarter-final, their semi-finals opponents on that path set to be Germany, Netherlands or France.

2026 World Cup Winner Odds

There has been support for Portugal in the winner market, shortening from 10/1 to move clear of Brazil, Argentina and narrowly behind England.

Team	Odds
France	5.50
Spain	5.50
England	8.00
Portugal	8.50
Brazil	10.00
Argentina	10.00
Germany	15.00
Netherlands	21.00
Norway	26.00
Belgium	34.00
Colombia	41.00
Japan	51.00
Morocco	51.00
Mexico	67.00
USA	67.00
Uruguay	67.00
Switzerland	81.00
Turkey	81.00
Croatia	81.00
Ecuador	101.00
Senegal	126.00
Canada	126.00
Sweden	126.00
Austria	151.00
Paraguay	151.00
Scotland	251.00
Ivory Coast	301.00
Czech Republic	301.00
Egypt	301.00
Bosnia and Herzegovina	351.00
South Korea	401.00
Algeria	401.00
Ghana	401.00
Australia	501.00
Iran	501.00
Tunisia	501.00
DR Congo	751.00
Saudi Arabia	1001.00
South Africa	1001.00
Panama	1501.00
Iraq	1501.00
Uzbekistan	1501.00
Qatar	2001.00
Cape Verde	2001.00
New Zealand	2501.00
Jordan	2501.00
Haiti	2501.00
Curacao	3501.00

Source: Stake.com and correct on 11 June 2026

Portugal Stage of Elimination Odds

Portugal are one of the favourites to win the World Cup, something they have never done. There is little separating an exit in one of the first three knockout rounds.

Stage	Odds
Group Stage	16.00
Round of 32	3.60
Round of 16	3.80
Quarter-finals	4.60
Semi-finals	7.00
Runner-Up	10.50
Winner	9.50

Source: Stake.com and correct on 11 June 2026

Ronaldo on Top for Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo is the favourite to be Portugal's top scorer followed by Bruno Fernandes.

Player	Odds
Cristiano Ronaldo	2.20
Bruno Fernandes	4.50
Goncalo Ramos	10.00
Joao Felix	12.00
Rafael Leao	15.00
Pedro Neto	17.00
Bernardo Silva	19.00
Francisco Conceicao	23.00
Goncalo Guedes	26.00
Joao Neves	26.00
Francisco Trincao	26.00
Ferreira Vitinha	34.00
Matheus Nunes	34.00
Joao Cancelo	41.00
Diogo Dalot	51.00
Nuno Mendes	51.00

Source: Bet365 and correct on 11 June 2026

Ronaldo a Popular Pick

Cristiano Ronaldo is the top scorer in international football, but his record at World Cup's has not been what many might suspect.

He has scored more than one goal only once, in 2018 when he hit a hat-trick in Portugal's opening game against Spain.

World Cup	Matches	Goals
2006	6	1
2010	4	1
2014	3	1
2018	4	4
2012	5	1

Ronaldo sits sixth in the Golden Boot market at 20/1, currently behind Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, Mikel Oyarzabal, Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi.

Player	Odds
Kylian Mbappe	6.50
Harry Kane	8.00
Mikel Oyarzabal	13.00
Erling Haaland	17.00
Lionel Messi	17.00
Cristiano Ronaldo	21.00
Kai Havertz	26.00
Julian Alvarez	26.00
Lamine Yamal	26.00
Raphinha	26.00
Michael Olise	26.00
Vinicius Junior	34.00
Lautaro Martinez	41.00
Cody Gakpo	41.00
Ousmane Dembele	41.00
Romelu Lukaku	41.00
Igor Thiago	41.00
Luis Diaz	51.00
Ferran Torres	51.00
Bruno Fernandes	51.00
Matheus Cunha	51.00
Florian Wirtz	67.00
Darwin Nunez	67.00
Jamal Musiala	67.00
Mohamed Salah	67.00
Jeremy Doku	67.00
Viktor Gyokeres	67.00
Memphis Depay	67.00
Kevin De Bruyne	67.00
Leroy Sane	67.00
Charles De Ketelaere	67.00
Joao Felix	67.00
Enner Valencia	81.00
Luis Suarez	81.00
Goncalo Ramos	81.00
Desire Doue	81.00
Jude Bellingham	81.00
Morgan Rogers	81.00
Donyell Malen	81.00
Nico Williams	81.00
Ayase Ueda	81.00
Alexander Isak	81.00
Anthony Gordon	81.00
Sadio Mane	81.00
Neymar	81.00
Breel Embolo	101.00
Jonathan David	101.00
Nick Woltemade	101.00
Marcus Rashford	101.00
Folarin Balogun	101.00
Raul Jimenez	101.00
Christian Pulisic	101.00
Ollie Watkins	151.00
Brian Rodriguez	151.00
Ayoub El Kaabi	151.00
Gabriel Martinelli	151.00
James Rodriguez	151.00
Heung-min Son	151.00

Source: Bet365 and correct on 11 June 2026

Verdict

Portugal are in contention to win the 2026 World Cup. I don't think they are certainties to win Group K however, so I am avoiding those markets.

If they do take top spot, the Seleção are likely to face Argentina in the quarter-finals where their campaign could come to an end.

Quarter-Finals

Portugal Stage of Elimination

@18/5 - 2 Units

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