Portugal coach Roberto Martinez dismissed concerns about his team’s preparations for Saturday’s World Cup group final against Colombia, insisting months of planning had left the team «perfectly ready» despite storms in Florida disrupting the build-up.
Martinez said his team had benefited from starting preparations for the match at Miami Stadium in March.
«We started preparing for the match against Colombia in March… We have already had 13 practices here in Miami to adapt to the weather,» Martinez told reporters.
“The plan was to stay in Miami to prepare for the match against Colombia.
«The players are ready for the physical challenge of playing in a different stadium and on a different field, a different field than what we have in Europe. That’s what we did, we’ve been preparing since the first day we arrived in the US.»
AWAY FROM HOME
Martinez acknowledged that Portugal would play its first match ‘away from home’ due to the large Colombian fan base expected in Miami, where tickets for the highly anticipated match were reportedly selling for thousands of dollars.
“It means I had to buy tickets for my family in November,” Martinez joked when asked about the fans’ dedication. “That’s what it means, because I knew it was going to be difficult to get tickets.”
“I hope football wins tomorrow and that the inspiration of everyone watching the match wins.”
While Colombia have reached the knockout stages with six points from two games, Portugal are second with four points and are all but done. If they finish second, it could be a tougher path in the knockout stages, with potential opponents coming from England or Croatia.
TOURNAMENT PATHS AND DUA LIPA
But Martinez, who was cheerful and even laughed as Dua Lipa songs came over the speakers and interrupted his news conference, said he was never concerned with tournament paths.
«No, it doesn’t matter. If this was my first World Cup, I would have said yes, because you are inexperienced and you try to plan the trip, for every possible scenario, but you realize that is not realistic,» he said.
«I believe the focus should be on winning every match, forgetting about the next opponent and respecting the opponent. If you want to win the World Cup, you have to beat everyone.»
“You have to accept the complexity and the focus has to be on playing the best.”
Martinez warned that Nestor Lorenzo’s Colombia would present another tactical challenge.
«They have players like captain James Rodriguez, Luis Suarez and Luis Diaz… They switch well and are very fast,» he said.
«They work as a team, they have tactical clarity. There is quality in the players and they love being part of the national team.»
Published on June 26, 2026
