Portugal secured their place at the 2026 World Cup with a stunning 9-1 victory over Armenia in Porto, a result that rendered the absence of captain Cristiano Ronaldo irrelevant. The reigning Nations League champions needed to win their final Group F match after a 2-0 defeat to the Republic of Ireland on Thursday, a game in which Ronaldo was sent off. However, Roberto Martínez's side produced a ruthless performance to finish top of the group with 13 points, ensuring Ronaldo can play at a record sixth World Cup.
Portugal took the lead in the seventh minute through a close-range header from defender Renato Veiga, but Armenia equalised 11 minutes later when Eduard Spertsyan converted a cross from Grant-Leon Ranos. It was only Armenia's third goal in the qualifying group, having failed to score in their previous three games. Any hopes of an upset were quickly extinguished as Gonçalo Ramos restored Portugal's lead, and João Neves added two goals before half-time, including a superb free-kick into the top corner. Bruno Fernandes then converted a penalty in first-half added time to make it 5-1 at the break.
The second half continued in the same pattern, with Fernandes striking again soon after the restart after being set up by Ramos. A flurry of substitutions followed, but Portugal's pressure never relented. When they earned another penalty, Fernandes completed his hat-trick. Neves then added his third goal of the night with a composed finish after Portugal hit the post, while goalkeeper Diogo Costa and the defence comfortably kept Armenia at bay. Francisco Conceição added a long-range strike in added time to complete the rout.
Neves, who opened his account for Portugal with a hat-trick, told RTP: 'The most important thing was qualifying for the World Cup. For me, as I always say, the team always comes before the individual. I'm very happy to have scored my first goal for the national team, and my second and third as well. I'm happy to be able to share the pitch with great players and a great team.'
Elsewhere, Ireland finished second in Group F with 10 points to clinch a playoff berth after beating Hungary 3-2 with a last-gasp goal in the sixth minute of added time. In Group D, Ukraine secured a playoff spot with a 2-0 win over Iceland, while France beat Azerbaijan 3-1 away to wrap up their campaign.
