Portugal World Cup 2026 preview: Players to watch, group matches and squad
Key takeaways
- Portugal are hugely talented but are led by a fading Cristiano Ronaldo and are still grieving the loss of Diogo Jota.
- Portugal come into yet another tournament dominated by the question of Cristiano Ronaldo and whether the veteran and his side can finally win the one major trophy that has eluded them in his final World Cup.
- Even in the 2022 edition, there were many questions over whether Portugal are worse with their record goalscorer in the lineup.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Portugal are hugely talented but are led by a fading Cristiano Ronaldo and are still grieving the loss of Diogo Jota.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo will be playing at his sixth and final World Cup [File: Rodrigo Antunes/Reuters]By Al Jazeera Staff Published On 8 Jun 20268 Jun 2026Previous World Cup appearances: 8 Best performance: Third place (1966) First appearance: 1966 (England) Top goal scorer: Eusebio (9) Most appearances: Cristiano Ronaldo (22) Player to watch: Cristiano Ronaldo FIFA world ranking: 5
Portugal come into yet another tournament dominated by the question of Cristiano Ronaldo and whether the veteran and his side can finally win the one major trophy that has eluded them in his final World Cup.