Brought by Joao Neves’ hat-trick, Portugal officially qualified for the 2026 World Cup

Missing Cristiano Ronaldo, suspension, the Seleçao went against Armenia (9-1) on Sunday, with four goals scored by PSG players.

The risk of disappointment still exists if defeat occurs. Portugal dispelled it, Sunday 16 November, by humiliating Armenia (9-1) on the final day of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. Three days after the humiliating defeat against Ireland (0-2), the Seleçao players finally validated their ticket to the World Cup of the Americas, by setting a record directly in front of their audience in Porto.

Without Cristiano Ronaldo, who was suspended after elbowing Dara O’Shea, the Portuguese showed his best performance, starting with Joao Neves. The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder, scorer in his last two games with the club, scored a superb hat-trick. His first two goals allowed his team to reduce tension before the break. With a reflex kick midway through the match, he scored the 3-1 goal (30th), before surprising the Armenian goalkeeper with a direct free kick that seemed to be heading towards his teammate Vitinha (41st). He ended up being the creator of Portugal’s eighth and final goal, opportunistically after a corner, marking his second hat-trick of the season after that against Toulouse in Ligue 1.

Previously, it was Gonçalo Ramos who distinguished himself by showing his qualities as a surface fox. He perfectly took advantage of an untimely return pass from the Armenian back line to restore Portugal’s lead (2-1 in the 28th minute). Renato Veiga (7), Bruno Fernandes, also the author of a hat-trick including two goals from penalties (45+3, 52, 72) and Francisco Conceiçao (90+2), scored the other goal for Seleçao, qualifying for the fifth consecutive World Cup.

The Portuguese player joins England, France and Croatia on the list of European options who are guaranteed to arrive next summer. There are still twelve places to be taken in the European zone. Norway will have to emulate them this Sunday. The day before, Spain and Switzerland took big steps in this direction, while Belgium and Denmark failed without wasting their chances.