Nations League winners Portugal still have questions to answer on the world stage

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A first-time winner of the 2026 World Cup is 9-4 with bet365 and BoyleSports and Portugal are rated the most likely team to break their duck at the tournament.

Spain, France, England, Brazil, Argentina and Germany – the other six sides shorter than 20-1 in the outright betting – have all been crowned world champions at least once.

Portugal finished third on their World Cup debut in 1966 but that remains their best result at the tournament.

It hasn't quite been 60 years of hurt for the Portuguese since then, however. They triumphed at Euro 2016, upsetting France in the final despite losing Cristiano Ronaldo to an early injury.

In June 2019 they won the inaugural Nations League Finals and they regained that title last summer, beating World Cup favourites Spain on penalties after knocking out Germany in the semis.

No less an authority than Lionel Messi recently described Portugal as "a very competitive team" when asked about the main threats to holders Argentina.

While Messi inspired the Albiceleste to glory in Qatar four years ago, his great rival Ronaldo has had limited success at World Cups.

Ronaldo played in Portugal's 1-0 semi-final defeat to France in 2006 but has not got past the quarter-finals in four subsequent appearances.

At 11-1, Portugal occupy a liminal position in the World Cup market – too short to be regarded as dark horses but not rated as one of the main trophy contenders.

For all their individual quality, they remain a difficult team for punters to assess, as demonstrated by their last two World Cup qualifying results: a 2-0 defeat against Ireland and a 9-1 drubbing of Armenia.

Bruno Fernandes is a key man for PortugalCredit: Getty Images

Bruno buzzing after outstanding club campaign

Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves both scored hat-tricks in the Armenia rout and the midfielders' excellent club form bodes well for Portugal this summer.

Fernandes has contributed eight goals and 19 assists in 33 Premier League starts for Manchester United and was named the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year on Saturday.

And Neves, along with Portugal teammates Vitinha and Nuno Mendes, is a key member of the Paris Saint-Germain side chasing back-to-back Champions League titles.

Another midfield option is the in-form Bernardo Silva, who is expected to join Barcelona when he leaves Manchester City this summer.

His City teammate Ruben Dias, Portugal's most experienced centre-back, returned to training last week after recovering from a hamstring injury.

Veteran Ronaldo still the centre of attention

The question of whether Portugal are a better team without Ronaldo was a major debate at the 2022 World Cup.

Coach Fernando Santos dropped his star forward for the last-16 tie against Switzerland and understudy Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick in a dazzling 6-1 win.

Ramos started the quarter-final against Morocco, with Ronaldo coming off the bench early in the second half, but Portugal lost 1-0 despite having 73 per cent of possession.

Four years on, the 41-year-old Ronaldo is still the centre of attention. He scored in the Nations League semi-final and final last year and bagged five goals in his first three World Cup qualifiers.

In November's defeat in Dublin, Ronaldo was sent off for elbowing Ireland defender Dara O'Shea – his first red card in 225 international caps. 

Conveniently, though, the last two games of his three-match ban were suspended for a year so he will not miss the start of the World Cup.

Portugal manager Roberto MartinezCredit: Octavio Passos

Martinez must deliver at a major tournament

Fifa's leniency over Ronaldo's ban leaves Portugal manager Roberto Martinez with a familiar dilemma when his side take on DR Congo, Uzbekistan and Colombia in Group K.

Ronaldo, along with his compatriots Ruben Neves and Joao Felix, is playing in the Saudi Pro League but Ramos, the obvious alternative to lead the line, is not a regular starter for PSG.

All ten of his Champions League appearances this term have come as a substitute and he was left on the bench for Portugal's Euro 2024 knockout-stage clashes with Slovenia and France.

Both of those ties ended goalless after 120 minutes and Portugal's 5-3 penalty-shootout loss to Les Bleus extended Martinez's underwhelming run at major tournaments.

He led a talented Belgium side to third place at the 2018 World Cup before a 2-1 quarter-final defeat to Italy at Euro 2020.

Belgium kicked off the 2022 World Cup in second place in the Fifa rankings but Martinez's men failed to live up to that lofty status on the pitch.

They scored only once in three Group F matches against Canada, Morocco and Croatia so it was something of a surprise when Portugal picked Martinez to succeed Santos in January 2023.

Portugal introduced themselves to two of the World Cup co-hosts in March and April's friendlies, drawing 0-0 with Mexico in Mexico City before beating the USA 2-0 in Atlanta.

Ronaldo, Dias, Bernardo Silva, Milan winger Rafael Leao and first-choice goalkeeper Diogo Costa were among the players who missed that mini-tour.

However, even at full strength, there is a sense that Martinez's Portugal may again end up as 'nearly men' on the world stage.

Read more on the World Cup:

Who can solve Scotland's goalscoring problems at this summer's World Cup?

After early exits at the last two World Cups, can Germany be written off again?

World Cup top goalscorer: Five market leaders and five outsiders to note

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