Portugal

Portugal are the 2016 UEFA European Champions and one of Europe’s most technically gifted national teams, with a depth of Premier League and La Liga quality across all positions that makes them genuine contenders in any major tournament.

For two decades, Portugal’s story was inseparable from Cristiano Ronaldo, the nation’s all-time leading scorer with more than 130 international goals and the most capped outfield player in history. The question every Portuguese cycle now faces is what comes after Ronaldo, and the answer, in the 2026 cycle, is more interesting than anyone might have predicted. Bruno Fernandes, who captains Manchester United and Portugal’s midfield with high energy and direct decision-making, has grown into a genuine leader. Rafael Leao at AC Milan provides the pace and flair on the left flank that opens deeper defensive structures. Ruben Dias, one of the best centre-backs in Europe at Manchester City, has brought organisational quality to a defence that previously leaked goals under pressure.

Portugal’s 2006 World Cup semi-final run, where Cristiano Ronaldo and Deco performed brilliantly in a technically precise 4-2 system, remains the team’s best-ever World Cup result. They lost 1-0 to France in the semi-final and lost 3-1 to the hosts Germany in the third-place playoff. At Qatar 2022, Portugal reached the quarter-finals before losing 1-0 to Morocco, a defeat that stung partly because Morocco were seen as beatable and partly because Ronaldo’s tournament involvement became the dominant off-pitch story.

Portugal operates on Western European Time, UTC+0 in winter and UTC+1 in summer. A 20:45 kickoff in Lisbon is 20:45 in London during summer and 13:45 on the US East Coast. Check Portugal time for your local conversion before every match.