Portugal storm into 2026 World Cup with 9-1 thrashing of Armenia

Portugal secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup with a dominant 9-1 victory over Armenia on Sunday, despite missing suspended star Cristiano Ronaldo.

Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes and Paris Saint-Germain’s Joao Neves both scored hat-tricks, while Renato Veiga, Goncalo Ramos, and Francisco Conceicao also found the net, helping Roberto Martinez’s side top Group F in Porto.

After a draw in Hungary in October and a shock defeat in Ireland last Thursday, Portugal confirmed their place in the tournament at the third attempt. They will be making their seventh consecutive World Cup appearance, a title that still eludes them.

“We always aim to win convincingly and control the game. Today we were effective and achieved a great victory,” said Fernandes.

Portugal opened the scoring early, with Veiga heading in Fernandes’s free-kick rebound in the seventh minute. Armenia briefly equalised through Eduard Spertsyan, but Portugal quickly regained control. Ramos, Neves, and Fernandes added goals before halftime, giving the hosts a commanding 5-1 lead.

In the second half, Fernandes completed his hat-trick with two penalties, while Neves and Conceicao added the final goals to complete one of Portugal’s largest-ever victories.

“Now we can truly dream about the World Cup,” Martinez said. Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated the qualification on social media, though he may miss the tournament’s start if his suspension extends beyond the one match served against Armenia.

In other Group F action, Ireland defeated Hungary 3-2 to reach the play-offs, with Troy Parrott scoring a hat-trick.