Portugal go into the 2026 men’s World Cup with a squad strong enough to make the new, expanded tournament feel even less predictable. Fifa’s move to 48 teams has created a newly hatched Round of 32, and for one of the favorites that means another hurdle before the knockout path gets serious.
That is the shape of the challenge for Roberto Martínez and a team built around elite talent in almost every line. Vitinha is being described as arguably the world’s finest midfielder, João Neves has emerged alongside him at Paris Saint-Germain, Bruno Fernandes arrives at the peak of his powers and Gonçalo Inácio looks a dependable partner for Rúben Dias. Nuno Mendes is one of the world’s best full-backs and Diogo Costa is dependable in goal. Behind them, Portugal can call on Gonçalo Ramos, João Félix, Rúben Neves and Bernardo Silva. It is the sort of depth that makes selection headaches feel like a luxury rather than a problem.
Martínez also has a more personal motive. He wants to erase the stigma of arguably underperforming with Belgium’s golden generation, and Portugal will expect him to do it with a side that has not lifted the men’s World Cup before. Their best finishes came in 1974, 1978 and 2010, when they reached the runners-up spot, and the country’s only major title remains Euro 2016. The scale of the task is clearer when set against the modern format: eight nations have won the men’s World Cup to date, and Portugal are not yet among them.
Cristiano Ronaldo still hangs over the story, even if he is no longer central to it. He was a regular starter at center-forward during Portugal’s qualifying campaign, but he has not featured for the national team since his red card against Ireland in November. In 2022, his declining athleticism complicated Portugal’s World Cup campaign, and that chapter now feels like the end of an era rather than the beginning of a new one. The team has moved toward younger, faster, more fluid options, and the balance of power inside the squad has changed.
The openness of the 2026 field is what makes Portugal’s case so compelling. The tournament, scheduled for this summer, will demand considerable travel and bring historically high temperatures, conditions that can flatten even established sides. Former champions Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Germany, Uruguay and Italy all arrive with concerns of their own. Argentina followed their 2022 World Cup title by winning the Copa América in 2024, but even they are not entering without questions.
That is why the new format matters beyond the calendar question of when is the world cup. A bigger field has widened the door for surprise contenders, but it has also increased the chance that elite teams will stumble before they settle. Portugal have the talent to go deep, the depth to survive rotation and the kind of balance that can travel. What they still do not have is proof that this generation can turn promise into the one trophy the country has never won.
