Portugal

🌍 World Cup Story

Portugal's World Cup history is centred on two men: Eusébio and Cristiano Ronaldo. In 1966, the Mozambican-born Eusébio led Portugal to third place — their best ever result — as top scorer with nine goals. Then a 40-year gap before they returned to prominence. In 2006, a team including a young Ronaldo finished fourth. In 2022, Ronaldo — at what many thought would be his last World Cup — was controversially dropped to the bench by coach Fernando Santos after a bust-up, and Portugal were eliminated by Morocco in the quarterfinals. Now Ronaldo is 41 — playing in Saudi Arabia but still the most capped international player in history (200+ caps). He has publicly stated his desire to play in 2026. Alongside Bruno Fernandes, Rafael Leão and Vitinha, Portugal have enormous talent beyond any one player.