What‘s the connection between Portugal’s two largest victories of all time? Cristiano Ronaldo missed both through suspension.
Two years on from a 9–0 thumping of Luxembourg, Portugal clinched their spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Sunday with a 9–1 evisceration of Armenia while Ronaldo missed the clash through suspension.
Roberto Martínez’s side simply needed three points to book their ticket to North America for next summer’s tournament, but still produced the most emphatic of victories over FIFA’s 104th-ranked nation.
Portugal, who will be traveling to the 2026 World Cup seeking their maiden triumph, were ahead after just seven minutes via Renato Veiga, with Armenia briefly leveling the score through Eduard Spertsyan in the 18th minute.
However, the floodgates opened just before the half-hour mark as Gonçalo Ramos restored Portugal’s advantage, with hat-tricks from both João Neves and Bruno Fernandes to follow. Francisco Conceição added another in stoppage time as Portugal scored nine for only the second time in their history.
Portugal recovered well from their shock 2–0 defeat to the Republic of Ireland to ensure they will be part of December’s World Cup group stage draw.
The last time Portugal lost a home game which wasn’t a friendly without Ronaldo in the team was all the way back in 2014, when a side captained by Nani and managed by Paulo Bento were beaten by Albania.
