Almost as soon as the final whistle sounded at the Estádio do Dragão on Sunday afternoon, Cristiano Ronaldo took to social media to celebrate Portugal punching their ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The 40-year-old was forced to miss out on his country’s final World Cup qualifier against Armenia after he was sent off in Portugal’s shock 2–0 defeat to the Republic of Ireland last time out. Ronaldo caught Dara O’Shea with a trailing elbow and saw red for the first time in his 22-year international career.
Still, even without their captain and all-time leading goalscorer, Roberto Martínez’s men cruised to a resounding 9–1 victory in front of a delighted home crowd. Five different players found the back of the net, led by Bruno Fernandes and João Neves, who each bagged a hat trick.
Now with Portugal’s place in the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer officially secured, Ronaldo, who is now set to join Lionel Messi as the only two players to ever feature in six World Cups, blasted a rallying cry across his social media platforms.
“We’re in the World Cup!” Ronaldo wrote. “Let’s go Portugal!”
Despite blunders against Hungary and the Republic of Ireland, the 2025 UEFA Nations League champions still finished atop Group F with 13 points.
The Boys in Green, who secured a last-gasp 3–2 victory over Hungary, finished as the runners up and will now compete in the playoff to keep their 2026 World Cup dreams alive.
