Portugal should honestly be one of the strongest favourites for the 2026 World Cup, and that was exactly the argument football commentator Adika pushed in his latest video on X handle.
In his view, the talent in this squad is simply too much for Portugal not to be taken seriously, even if doubts still remain around Roberto Martínez on the touchline.
Softfootball reported on the debate, which has now turned into one of the biggest talking points around Portugal’s World Cup chances.
Adika did not hold back in his assessment, saying:
“Portugal should be one of the strongest favorites for this World Cup. They have a squad strong enough to win this World Cup and comfortably at that. It’s just because of how bad their manager is that they are not number one favorite.”
He then pointed to the quality spread all across the team, adding:
“Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, the best midfielder in the Premier League right now. You have Bernardo Silva still there. You have Nuno Mendes, best left back in the world. You have Joao Cancelo. You have Vitinha… and you have Joao Neves too. Do you know how mad that is?”
For Adika, however, the biggest issue is not squad depth but the constant calls for Cristiano Ronaldo to be dropped. He strongly pushed back on that idea, saying:
“If Portugal is to have a chance at the World Cup, it is with Cristiano Ronaldo.”
He also blasted critics directly:
“All of you that are always saying, ‘Remove Cristiano Ronaldo from the squad… Ronaldo should retire’… Shut, shut up your mouth. What do you know? Ronaldo is their hope.”
Watch video below;
That debate remains alive even as Martínez has publicly backed Ronaldo’s current importance, while also stressing that no player is guaranteed a starting spot.
Portugal’s status off the pitch has also continued to grow. The country’s national team was officially named Best National Team of 2025 at the Globe Soccer Awards, recognition that followed their strong recent run and further boosted belief that this golden generation can finally go all the way.
Meanwhile, the Portugal Football Summit 2025 also received recognition through anomination for the 2026 Heavent Awards, showing how Portuguese football is gaining influence beyond just results on the pitch.
Still, for all the praise around the squad, Adika’s final point was simple: Portugal have the players, Portugal have the pedigree, but if they want to truly challenge for the World Cup, they must get the best version of Cristiano Ronaldo and hope Roberto Martínez does not get in the way.
