For most of my life watching Portugal, everything revolved around one man.
That’s understandable when that man is Cristiano Ronaldo, but for years it sometimes felt like Portugal were waiting for him to rescue us rather than functioning as a complete team.
Now, for the first time in a long time, Portugal genuinely feel balanced across the pitch.
And somehow, Ronaldo is still here for one final World Cup run.
How Portugal Reached the World Cup
- Qualification record: 4W-1L-1D
- Goals for / against: 20 / 7
- Top scorer: Cristiano Ronaldo (5)
- Top assists: João Cancelo, Nélson Semedo (2)
Portugal started qualification brilliantly before making things unnecessarily stressful, which honestly feels very on-brand for us.
Dropped points midway through the campaign suddenly turned the final match into a must-win situation, but the 9-1 destruction of Armenia showed the quality this team can produce when everything clicks.
The biggest positive overall was seeing Portugal become more than just moments from Ronaldo. There is now genuine control and creativity throughout the side.
Portugal’s Group Fixtures
- Portugal vs DR Congo – June 17 – Texas, USA
- Portugal vs Uzbekistan – June 23 – Texas, USA
- Colombia vs Portugal – June 27 – Miami, USA
The Colombia game immediately jumps out because they are exactly the kind of aggressive, physical side Portugal sometimes struggle against.
That feels like the real test of how serious this team actually is.
Why This Portugal Team Feels Different
The midfield is the best Portugal have ever had.
That sounds dramatic considering some of the players we’ve produced over the years, but when you look at the technical level of Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes, Joao Neves and Bernardo Silva together, there is so much control, intelligence, and creativity there.
Under Roberto Martinez, Portugal have become more possession-based and far more comfortable dominating games.
The challenge now is turning that dominance into knockout wins against elite opposition.
Players Who Will Define Our Tournament
Everything emotionally still revolves around Ronaldo.
Outside voices will keep saying he is too old, but thirteen goals in his last thirteen Portugal appearances says otherwise. If he is fit, he will start, and honestly most Portugal fans still trust him in big moments more than anyone else.
But this tournament could also become the moment where Vitinha truly announces himself globally.
Watching him dictate games for Paris Saint-Germain this season has been incredible, and I genuinely think he is one of the best midfielders in the world right now.
I’m also really interested to see how much impact players like Pedro Neto and Joao Felix can have in wider areas because that is still probably the least settled part of the team.
The Tactical Questions
The biggest concern is definitely defence.
Portugal create chances and control possession well, but there are still moments where the back line looks vulnerable far too easily, especially against quick transitions.
The right-back position also still feels uncertain despite the experience available there.
And then there is the Ronaldo question.
Not whether he can score goals, because he still clearly can, but whether Portugal can manage games correctly around him physically deep into the tournament.
That balance could define everything.
What Portugal Expects This Summer
Winning the World Cup is still the dream, but I think most Portugal fans would realistically see a semi-final as a successful tournament.
The feeling around the country changed massively after beating Spain in the Nations League final. Suddenly this squad stopped feeling like a talented outsider and started feeling like a team capable of beating anyone on its day.
There is also the emotional side of this tournament because everybody understands this is probably Ronaldo’s final World Cup.
Portugal fans desperately want one last magical run with him leading the line.
Sofia’s Predicted Portugal XI
Formation: 4-2-3-1
GK: Diogo Costa
RB: Nélson Semedo
CB: Renato Veiga
CB: Rúben Dias
LB: Nuno Mendes
CM: Vitinha
CM: João Neves
AM: Bruno Fernandes
RW: Pedro Neto
LW: João Félix
FW: Cristiano Ronaldo
My Expectation for Portugal
I genuinely think Portugal can beat anybody in this tournament.
Whether they actually win it probably depends on whether the defence can survive against the very best teams later on, because going forward the quality is obvious.
But this is definitely one of the strongest and most complete Portugal squads I’ve ever seen.
And if Ronaldo gets one more iconic World Cup moment, nobody in Portugal will ever forget it.
Quickfire
- Best group-stage fixture: Colombia vs Portugal
- Biggest concern: Defensive transitions
- Player I’m most excited for: Vitinha
- Potential breakout player: João Neves
- Team I least want Portugal to face: Spain
