Portugal secured their place at the 2026 World Cup by delivering a commanding 9-1 thrashing of Armenia in their final Group F qualifier. This emphatic victory allowed them to top the group with 13 points, overcoming the pressure from a recent 2-0 loss to Ireland where captain Cristiano Ronaldo received a red card.
Midfielders Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves were the stars of the night, each netting a spectacular hat-trick. Defender Renato Veiga opened the scoring for Portugal in the 7th minute. However, Armenia briefly stunned the home side with an equalizer from Eduard Spertsyan 11 minutes later, marking only their third goal of the qualifying campaign.
Portugal quickly regained control. Goncalo Ramos restored the lead, followed by two goals from Joao Neves, including a superb free-kick. Fernandes converted a penalty, putting Portugal up 5-1 by halftime. The domination continued after the break. Fernandes scored two more goals, one early in the half and another from a penalty, completing his hat-trick. Neves also added his third goal with a composed finish.
Francisco Conceicao delivered the final strike with a long-range effort in added time, completing the 9-1 rout. The win ensures Portugal, under manager Roberto Martinez, qualifies automatically as group leaders, giving Cristiano Ronaldo the chance to feature in a record sixth World Cup.
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