FIFA World Cup 2026: Portugal must find its way through the chaos, says manager Roberto Martinez

Roberto Martinez has seen enough World Cups to know that they are more a traveling circus of heat, humidity, penalties, bad jumps and sudden storms than a series of certainties.

After managing Belgium in 2018 and 2022, this year’s tournament could be the Portuguese manager’s wildest ride yet. ⁠In conversation with Reuters In an interview in Lisbon on Thursday, Martinez said Portugal’s impressive momentum under the leadership of the ageless Cristiano Ronaldo would be of little significance once the tournament begins, with the expanded World Cup featuring 48 teams in three countries representing a leap into the unknown.

“We’re talking about going into the unknown,” Martinez said. «Forty-eight teams means a longer period. You need incredible resilience. You don’t prepare for iconic moments; you prepare the team to perform in all circumstances.»

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Portugal arrive with confidence after a flawless qualifying campaign and a league title, but Martinez quickly resisted the temptation to confuse form with right.

«Everything we’ve done so far only gets you three games in a World Cup. It doesn’t get you anything,» he said. “You arrive at the World Cup, you have three games in a group stage and everything starts there and then.”

Martinez had the opportunity to observe the Club World Cup in the United States last year as a member of FIFA’s Technical Study Group, an experience he described as essential to understanding what Portugal could face.

The lessons were not only tactical, but also meteorological, logistical and psychological.

“The complexity of playing with different time zones, of playing with the heat, the humidity, almost moments of uncertainty when you get storms,” he said. “There are a lot of aspects that are very, very different how the game is played in those conditions than what we do in Europe.”

He also studied how teams used base camps, with some preferring one known hub and others moving closer to cities.

“We moved from the complexity of preparation to an opportunity to use our experience with our preparation,” he said.

Martinez knows the geography of the World Cup can shape a campaign. He contrasted Russia, with its vast distances, with Qatar, where teams could stay in one hotel and travel little.

SEMI-FINAL HEART PAIN

The Spaniard has experienced both the excitement and brutality of World Cups. With Belgium in 2018, he beat Brazil in a quarter-final which he said presented a «huge psychological barrier», then suffered the pain of losing a semi-final before regrouping to win the third place play-off.

“Losing a semi-final is someone who rips your heart away from the dream of being in a cup final,” he said.

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These scars form the basis for his view that World Cups are not simply won by the most beautiful football.

«A World Cup is something you’re never prepared for to be successful. It’s almost like you have to find a way through that journey,» Martinez said. “The opponent plays a role, what happens in the game plays a role, luck plays a role.”

Asked about Carlo Ancelotti’s view that the most resilient team often wins rather than the best, Martinez agreed.

“The difference will be a penalty shootout, a good decision in the final third, a bit of luck that the ball hits a post and goes in, or hits a post and goes out,” he said.

«At a World Cup you sometimes have to have qualities that have nothing to do with talent. It’s the team values, that resilience, that knowing how to suffer.»

Portugal has the talent, he said, but 2026 will test both his adaptability and his technique.

“The margins are minimal,” Martinez said. “With 48 teams and three countries, the margins become even smaller.”

Published on May 16, 2026