Since its World Cup debut, the national team Portugal has only reached semi-finals on two occasions: England 1966 (60 years ago), when he finished in third place, with Eusebio as the tournament’s top scorer, with nine goals, and in Germany 2006 (20 years ago), when he finished in fourth place, with Maniche as figure.
Therefore, the lusos They have spent two decades without exceeding the quarter finals in a World Cup, despite having had what is considered the better Portuguese selection in history: that of 2016who won the first Euro Cup of the country, but that in the 2014 and 2018 World Cups it was eliminated in the round of 16
Faced with this situation, the 41-year-old Portuguese, Cristiano Ronaldohopes that his sixth, and probably last, World Cup will be the final one, so the Al-Nassr forward fully trusts his team, which is full of stars like Bernard SilvaRuben NevesVitinha, Bruno FernandesJoão I cancel and Nuno mendesamong others.
In the 2026 World Cup, the Shields National Team shares Group K with Uzbekistan, Colombia and the Republic of the Congo, so the European squad is the favorite to stay in first place and advance comfortably to the round of 32, where they could face the third place in Group D (Türkiye, Australia, USA and Paraguay).
When does Portugal play?
Portugal’s first match in the 2026 World Cup will be next Wednesday June 17when the Portuguese are measured at 11:00 a.m. of Guatemala against the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the NRG Stadium, Houston, Texaswhere those led by coach Roberto Martínez will try to start on the right foot.
Later, the Tuesday June 23at 11:00 a.m. in Guatemala, also at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, the Portuguese team will face Uzbekistana team that stands out for its defensive solidity, tactical discipline and collective order, because it is led by the Italian strategist Fabio Cannavaroformer world champion.
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Finally, the third match of the group stage will be against Colombiaon Saturday, June 27, at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, where, at 5:30 p.m. in Guatemala, the captain and maximum Portugal’s historic scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo, will try to lead his country to first place in Group K, ahead of the coffee growers.
The Portuguese have not been eliminated in the group stage of a World Cup since the edition of Brazil 2014more than a decade ago, when they were surpassed by Germany and USA. On that occasion, Portugal was only able to defeat 2-1 Ghana on the last day, but it was not enough to advance to the round of 16
Portugal pays tribute to Diogo Jota at the World Cup
The players of the Portugal national team will pay tribute to their deceased teammate at the 2026 World Cup Diogo Jota with a bracelet with the forward’s name, given by the country’s prime minister, Luís Montenegro. “It’s something we all carry,” he revealed on June 15. Vitinhaduring a press conference in Miami, Florida.
The bracelet shows off the green and red colors of the flag Portuguese, the symbol of the Portuguese Federation and the names of all those summoned by Roberto Martínez, on the one hand; while, on the other, is Jota’s. “We received it with much dear and we all decided to use it,” said the Spanish technical director in charge of the Portuguese.
Equipment chemistry: 𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗮. 👨🔬 #VaiDarPortugal | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/NEctQiWxEy
— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) June 15, 2026