Portugal has built a squad that looks ready for the 2026 World Cup, but the team that may matter most in the world cup predictor race is not wearing red and green. It is the Netherlands, which went through eight UEFA qualifying matches without defeat and outscored opponents 27-4.
That is the kind of record that forces attention in a tournament where 48 teams will be present for the first time and a new Round of 32 has been added. Fifa’s expansion does not just create more places in the field; it creates more room for a surprise winner, which is why projections now have to weigh established powers against teams peaking at the right moment.
Portugal still has the profile of a contender. The country won Euro 2016, and coach Roberto Martínez now has a core that looks better balanced than the one that went to the 2022 World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo was a regular starter at center-forward during qualifying, but he has not played for Portugal since his red card against Ireland in November. That absence removes the most familiar name from the side and pushes the rest of the attack into sharper focus.
What replaces it is quality across the pitch. Vitinha is being spoken of as arguably the world’s finest midfielder, and João Neves has emerged alongside him at Paris Saint-Germain. Bruno Fernandes arrives at the peak of his powers. Behind them, Gonçalo Inácio has become a dependable partner for Rúben Dias, Nuno Mendes is viewed as one of the world’s best full-backs and Diogo Costa remains dependable in goal. On the bench, Portugal can still call on Gonçalo Ramos, João Félix, Rúben Neves and Bernardo Silva as depth and gamechanging options.
That is why Portugal keeps showing up near the top of any serious world cup predictor. The problem is history. The men’s World Cup has been won by only eight nations, and Portugal has never lifted it. Its best finishes are runners-up in 1974, 1978 and 2010, a record that underlines both its pedigree and its ceiling. Martínez is trying to turn a team with a rich European record into one that can survive the longer, more crowded route to the title.
The tension is that Portugal’s strongest case is also the case for several others. Argentina followed its 2022 World Cup title with the 2024 Copa América, and that kind of continuity matters when the field expands and the schedule grows harder. Mbappé has also said this France squad is the best he has been a part of, a reminder that the teams expected to dominate are still loaded with enough talent to make predictions fragile.
The 2026 tournament is scheduled for the summer, and the first true test of every forecast will come only when the draw, the travel and the new Round of 32 begin to squeeze the margins. For now, Portugal looks like a team that can contend with anyone. Whether it can finally move from contender to winner is the question that will define every prediction until the opening whistle.
