Portugal qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in emphatic fashion on Sunday, thrashing Armenia 9–1 in Porto despite the absence of suspended captain Cristiano Ronaldo.
Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves stole the spotlight, each scoring a hat-trick in a dominant performance that saw Roberto Martínez’s men secure top spot in Group F.
Renato Veiga opened the floodgates, while Gonçalo Ramos and Francisco Conceição added their names to the scoresheet as Portugal wrapped up qualification at the third attempt after a draw in Hungary and a shock loss to Ireland.
Portugal, who will now appear in their seventh consecutive World Cup, wasted no time asserting control. Fernandes’ whipped free-kick was pushed against the post, allowing Veiga to head in the rebound for the opener in the 7th minute.
Armenia briefly stunned the home crowd with an equaliser, as Eduard Spertsyan finished off a Grant-Leon Ranos cross. But Portugal immediately shifted gears.
Ramos pounced on a loose back pass to restore the lead, before Neves smashed in Portugal’s third from the edge of the box following a Fernandes assist. The PSG midfielder doubled his tally with a brilliant free-kick into the top corner.
Fernandes converted a penalty in first-half stoppage time after Ruben Dias was fouled, and he picked up where he left off after the break — finishing calmly for his second and later completing his hat-trick with another penalty after Carlos Forbs was brought down.
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Neves completed his own hat-trick moments later, driving in Portugal’s eighth after Veiga set him up with a cushioned header. Conceição rounded off the rout with a stoppage-time strike.
In the group’s other fixture, Ireland shocked Hungary with a 3–2 win thanks to a Troy Parrott hat-trick — earning them a play-off spot.
Portugal, despite recent bumps, now march confidently toward the 2026 World Cup with one of their biggest wins in history.
