November 16, (THEWILL) — Portugal booked their place at the 2026 World Cup with a dominant 9-1 victory over Armenia in Porto on Sunday. Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves each netted three goals in a comprehensive performance that confirmed the Selecao as Group F winners.
Roberto Martinez’s side played without Cristiano Ronaldo, who was serving a suspension following his dismissal in Thursday’s 2-0 loss to the Republic of Ireland. That defeat had delayed qualification, but Portugal responded emphatically at home. Renato Veiga headed in the opener after Henri Avagyan could only parry Fernandes’ free-kick onto the post, though Eduard Spertsyan briefly equalised for the visitors following work from Grant-Leon Ranos.
The hosts struck five times before the interval to put the contest beyond doubt. Goncalo Ramos intercepted a poor back pass from Artur Serobyan to restore the lead, before Neves added two excellent strikes, a low drive and a free-kick that hit the underside of the bar. Fernandes converted from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time after Sergey Muradyan fouled Ruben Dias, sending Portugal in at the break with a commanding advantage.
Fernandes curled in a sixth goal early in the second half and completed his hat-trick from the spot after Muradyan brought down substitute Carlos Forbs. Neves then finished from close range after Nelson Semedo kept Fernandes’ cross alive to claim his own treble. Francisco Conceicao added a ninth in stoppage time with a left-footed finish, capping a memorable afternoon.
The result, combined with Hungary’s 3-2 home defeat to the Republic of Ireland, meant Portugal finished three points clear at the summit. Martinez’s team will now compete at its seventh consecutive World Cup finals.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
