The things that looked very comfortable for Portugal at one stage of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers now can change with a small mistake in their Direct World Cup Qualification match. Portugal won the first three matches of the qualifiers and just needed one more win to guarantee a direct spot, but a draw against Hungary and a defeat against Ireland will all go down to the final match day in the qualifiers.
Portugal is set to host the 104th-ranked Armenia in the last match of the FIFA World Cup qualifications. Estadio Do Dragao in Porto will be the venue for the change. The date for the match is 16th November, Sunday. It’s an afternoon kick-off as the match will start at 2 PM local time, and it will be 7:30 PM as per Indian Standard Time.
Also check out: Cristiano Ronaldo’s Red Card against Ireland could cost him a ban in the FIFA World Cup 2026 matches
No Cristiano Ronaldo, No Direct World Cup Qualification for Portugal?
The simple thing for Portugal would be to take a win and get three points, and the place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 is theirs. One thing we can’t forget is that there is no Cristiano Ronaldo who will play for Portugal. Ronaldo is the player to score the most goals for Portugal in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, with 5.
What if the match between Portugal and Armenia ends in a draw? Will Portugal get a direct qualification?
Yes, there are chances for Portugal to get a direct qualification if they win their match. There are two scenarios for it. First, Ireland has to defeat Hungary. If this happens, then Portugal will be on 11 and Ireland and Hungary will end up on 10 points.
The second scenario is, if Hungary defeats Ireland, then they need to win by less than three or three goals margin. Currently, Portugal has a goal difference of +5, and if their match ends in a draw, it won’t change. At the same time, Hungary now has a goal difference of +2. They will at least have to score four goals and not concede one.
Who will replace Cristiano Ronaldo in the playing eleven?
Most likely, Paris Saint-Germain’s Goncalo Ramos will be the player to replace in the starting eleven. We will see Bruno Fernandes back in the starting eleven for this match. If Pedro Neto is fine, he will start this match as well. Let us look at Portugal’s expected playing eleven:
- Goalkeeper: Costa
- Defenders: Cancelo, Dias, Inacio, and Semedo
- Midfielders: Bruno, Joao Neves, and Vitinha
- Attackers: Felix, Ramos, and Silva
