Portugal national team have secured a spot in the 2026 World Cup after thrashing Armenia 9-1 in their final group match. This victory marked a significant milestone for the Portuguese team, guaranteeing their participation in a seventh consecutive World Cup.
Portugal were without Captain and Star man Cristiano Ronaldo who was serving match ban after receiving his first international red card against Republic of Ireland on Thursday, but won 9-1 with Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves both scoring hat-tricks.
Villarreal’s Renato Veiga opened the scoring, Armenia’s captain, Eduard Spertsyan, then levelled up 11 minutes later in what would be the visitors’ only goal,Paris Saint-Germaine target man Gonçalo Ramos made it 2-1 while teammate Joao Neves added a stunning free-kick and Bruno Fernandes, who netted a penalty and completed his hat-trick with another penalty. Francisco Conceicao sealed the win with a long-range strike in added time.
This World Cup appearance will be Cristiano Ronaldo’s sixth, a record-breaking feat. However, he might miss the start of the tournament due to a suspension. Portugal topped Group F finishing three points ahead of Republic of Ireland.
With their World Cup spot secured, Portugal will focus on the tournament, aiming to go beyond their past performances. They were defeated 1 – 0 by Morocco in the quarter finals of last World Cup courtesy of Youseff En-Nesyri header, with Morocco being the first African nation to reach the semis of a world cup tournament.
