No Cristiano Ronaldo, no problem: Portugal beats Armenia to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Portugal sealed its ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals in style when they defeated Armenia 8-1 at the Estadio do Dragao in Porto on Sunday.

The Selecao played without captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who is serving a suspension after being shown a red card in the match against Ireland, and needed a win to qualify for the 48-team tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada next year.

AS IT HAPPENED – HIGHLIGHTS OF PORTUGAL VERSUS ARMENIA

Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick to end his long international goalscoring drought, while Joao Neves scored three stunning goals to spark the celebrations in Porto.

Portugal, the reigning Nations League champions, had to wait to book an automatic spot when they lost 2-0 to Ireland on Thursday in a match that saw their captain sent off.

But Portugal did not need their all-time top scorer in a one-sided match as Roberto Martinez’s side topped the group with 13 points, handing Ronaldo the chance to play in a record sixth World Cup.

Defender Renato Veiga opened the scoring for Portugal with a close-range header in the seventh minute, but was stunned when Eduard Spertsyan converted a Grant-Leon Ranos cross 11 minutes later.

It was only Armenia’s third goal in the qualifying group, having failed to score in the previous three matches.

However, Goncalo Ramos restored Portugal’s lead, while Neves scored two goals before half-time, including a brilliant free-kick into the top corner. Fernandes then converted a penalty in extra time of the first half to make it 5-1 at half-time.

The second half continued in the same vein, as Fernandes struck again shortly after the restart. A flurry of substitutions followed but Portugal’s pressure never abated and when they earned another penalty, Fernandes completed his hat-trick.

Neves then added his third goal of the evening with a composed finish after Portugal hit the post, while at the other end Diogo Costa and the Portuguese defense comfortably kept Armenia at bay.

Francisco Conceicao then added the icing on the cake with a long-range strike in extra time as Portugal completed the rout.

Published on November 16, 2025