Portugal beat Armenia 9-1 in their final Group F match without the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo to book their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Softfootball reports.
The 5-time Ballon D’Or winner saw a straight red card in the shock defeat against Republic of Ireland which made their final game a must win. In the preview for the match, Portugal aimed to seal qualification against Armenia and delivered in style with hat-tricks from Bruno Fernandez and Joao Neves.
It was a great win for Portugal as the country celebrated a huge win and they shared on their official X handle a lovely post. It read:
Mundial, aqui vamos nós! 🏆🌍 #FazHistória | @FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/aLqgxmskGM
— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) November 16, 2025Fernandez created the first goal for former Chelsea defender, Renato Veiga to head home the opener. But the away side equalised against the run of play when Eduard Spertsyan scored in the 18th minute to make it 1-1.
However, Portugal’s lead was restored through Gonçalo Ramos just 10 minutes after that goal and the 46,702 fans inside the Estádio Do Dragão roared loudly in pure ecstasy and from there it was all Portugal. Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) midfielder, João Neves added two more goals and Fernandez scored at the stroke of half-time to make it 5-1.
In the second half, Fernandez got two more goals and Neves added one more as both players celebrated a fine hat-trick and at 90 minutes Juventus winger, Francisco Conceição added a goal to end the encounter 9-1.
Portugal booked their place for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with that victory and it will be Cristiano Ronaldo’s last tournament as he revealed in a recent interview. The Al Nassr man will miss Portugal’s first two matches of the World Cup by virtue of his red card against Ireland.
Portugal finished top of Group F with 13 points, three above Republic of Ireland in second after six matches.
