Portugal โฃAdvances to 2026 World Cup,โ Italy Faces Play-off Battle
LISBON – โPortugal secured its place โin โthe 2026 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday with a dominantโฃ 9-1 victory over Armenia, marking their seventh consecutive appearance โin the tournament since 2002. The win underscores a period of sustained successโฃ under coach Roberto โMartรญnez,โ who led the teamโค to victory in โขthe 2023 Nations Leagueโข final against Spain.
As taking the โฃhelm in January 2023, โฃMartรญnez has established a โremarkably consistentโ recordโข with Portugal, going 15 qualifyingโ matches without a loss, achieving 11 consecutive victories, and maintaining a 70.9% win percentage in official matches,averagingโค 2.66โ goals per โgame.
Portugal’s qualification โwas achieved despite the absence of โฃCristiano Ronaldo, who was โserving a โsuspension following his expulsion during the match against Ireland last Thursday. The Portuguese โFederation is appealing the severity of Ronaldo’s ban, hoping to limit it to the one match alreadyโข served and ensure his availability for the World Cup.
Theโค team’s strong performance highlights a blend ofโ individual talent and cohesive teamwork, positioning them as contenders for their first-ever World Cup title when the tournament is jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Elsewhere in qualifyingโ action,โข Italy suffered a meaningful setback, โคlosing 1-4 at homeโ to Norway. A brace fromโ Erling Haaland led the Nordic side to victory, solidifying their โฃtop โpositionโ in the group withโค 24 points. Italy, with 18 points, will now have to navigate the play-offs to secureโ their spot in the 2026 World โฃCup.