Vitinha and Bruno Fernandes pose during Portugal’s official World Cup 2026 portrait session. Will Portugal win their first World Cup? Anything is possible with Vitinha and Bruno Fernandes.
Portugal have never reached the final and their best performance was in 1966, but this squad can go all the way. When it comes to Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo dominates the conversation. There is so much focus on the 41-year-old, who is appearing at his sixth World Cup, that you would be forgiven for not appreciating the talents of his teammates. But they are serious contenders to win their first World Cup. The Opta supercomputer gives only Spain (16.0%), France (12.9%), England (10.8%) and Argentina (10.0%) a greater chance of winning the tournament than Portugal (7.1%).
This will be their ninth World Cup and seventh in a row, dating back to the 2002 tournament, which was their first appearance since 1986. You have to go back to 1966 for their best finish. Led by Eusébio they went all the way to the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual winners England, before securing a third-place finish by beating the Soviet Union. In more recent editions, they have disappointed. Their Euro 2016 triumph, for example, was bookended by a group stage exit at the 2014 World Cup and a last-16 departure in 2018. So, will they fare any better now?
Midfield Mastery
In Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, João Neves, Bernardo Silva, Rúben Neves and Samú Costa, Portugal may have the best group of midfielders at the tournament. Fernandes is fresh off his most productive Premier League campaign for Manchester United (nine goals, 21 assists), leading the top flight for chances created (136) and breaking the Premier League record for most assists in a single campaign, edging past Thierry Henry (20 in 2002-03) and Kevin de Bruyne (20 in 2019-20).
Fernandes has at times struggled to take that form on to the international stage, but he has gone from strength to strength for his country in recent years. In Portugal’s final World Cup qualifying match, a 9-1 rout of Armenia, he ran the show, scoring a hat-trick and creating eight chances. In Portugal’s last two friendlies – a 2-0 win over the US in April and a 2-1 win against Chile – he was involved in three goals, grabbing two assists against the US before scoring the winner against Chile. He also led Portugal in World Cup qualifying for chances created, with 21, which was 10 more than any other player.
Operating behind Fernandes in the midfield is another world-class talent. Vitinha is the beating heart of Paris Saint-Germain, the back-to-back European champions, and he finished third in the most recent Ballon d’Or rankings behind Ousmane Dembélé and Lamine Yamal. The 26-year-old affects the game with and without the ball. He can dictate the tempo and rhythm of a game, slowing it down or speeding it up when necessary – a skill that could prove crucial at this tournament given the heat and humidity.
Vitinha provided 11 assists this season across all competitions, with only Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Dembélé providing more for PSG (12). He was named player of the match in the Champions League final after an outstanding performance against Arsenal. He completed the most passes (141), made the most passes in the opposition half (75) and had the most touches (162). Those numbers were consistent with the rest of his season: he completed more passes (5,234) and more passes in the opposition’s half (3,001) than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues.
Roberto Martínez's Impact
The appointment of Roberto Martínez as head coach in 2023 raised some eyebrows given his underwhelming achievements with a golden generation of Belgium players. But Portugal clearly wanted to move away from the style of his predecessor, Fernando Santos, who delivered the Euro 2016 title with laborious and predictable tactics. The aim has been to become a more fluid, free-flowing team that make better use of their attacking talent and are capable of outscoring opponents.
Fast-forward to the present day and Portugal have scored 100 goals under Martínez in 39 matches (2.6 goals per game). In their only other major tournament under him, Euro 2024, Portugal were eliminated by France in the quarter-finals on penalties after a goalless draw. Since then, they have dusted themselves off brilliantly, winning the Nations League for the second time. Their run to that trophy included a 2-1 victory over Germany in the semi-finals and a win on penalties in the final against Spain following a 2-2 draw.
In World Cup qualifying, Portugal attempted 25 shots per match, the most of any European nation. They had 8.3 shots on target per match – a tally only bettered by Spain (9.6) and Croatia (8.5). Portugal scored the most goals following a high turnover per match (0.5) and only Belgium (2.5) had more shots resulting from a high turnover per match than them (2.3).
Attack Beyond Ronaldo
Ronaldo scored five goals in qualifying, two more than any other Portugal player, and he had more shots (31), shots on target (12) and xG (5.73) than anyone in the squad. But if they are to perform well at the tournament, the supporting cast in attack will need to step up and contribute. Martínez has also called up João Félix, Trincão, Francisco Conceição, Pedro Neto, Rafael Leão, Gonçalo Guedes and Gonçalo Ramos in attack.
In João Félix, they have something of a wildcard who can make the difference in the final third. After several years of turbulence that involved two moves to Chelsea, a loan to Barcelona and a loan to Milan, he is finally high on confidence and performing consistently after his move to Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. The 26-year-old was recently awarded the player of the season award, pipping Ronaldo in the process, thanks to his 20 goals and 13 assists in 33 league games. If he can continue his good rhythm, he could have a big impact.
Portugal have the quality to go far. The question is whether Martínez can harness it.
