Hungary vs Portugal preview - Ronaldo ready for more goals in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers | OneFootball

Portugal continue their path to the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday when they face Hungary at Puskás Aréna in Budapest.

The Seleção have played the Magyars in nine competitive games, winning eight alongside one draw. Six of the previous seven victories have come with a clean sheet.

Roberto Martinez’s side successfully began Group F in Armenia, showing the hosts no mercy in Yerevan where they registered a convincing 5-0 win.

Cristiano Ronaldo continued his fine form for Portugal, scoring in four consecutive games for his country for the first time since July 2021. He has scored six goals in six appearances against Hungary.

Portugal Squad

Diogo Dalot picked up a muscle injury in training and was replaced by Nuno Tavares. Nélson Semedo and Rafael Leão are injured and missed out.

Francisco Conceição was released from the training camp in Budapest after suffering muscle discomfort.

Ronaldo has scored 140 goals in 222 appearances for the Seleção.

Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa, José Sá, Rui SilvaDefenders: Rúben Dias, António Silva, Gonçalo Inácio, Renato Veiga, João Cancelo, Nuno Mendes, Nuno TavaresMidfielders: Rúben Neves, João Palhinha, João Neves, Vitinha, Bernardo Silva, Pedro Gonçalves, Bruno FernandesForwards: Pedro Neto, Francisco Trincão, Gonçalo Ramos, João Félix, Cristiano Ronaldo

Predicted lineup

Roberto Martinez will surely make some changes here despite the comfortable victory in Armenia. Expect Bernardo Silva to come into the starting side.

Portugal (4-2-3-1) Diogo Costa; João Cancelo, Rúben Dias, António Silva, Nuno Mendes; Rúben Neves, Vitinha; Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, João Félix; Cristiano Ronaldo

Hungary Form

Hungary were beaten by Turkey in the UEFA Nations League relegation play-offs in March. They lost 3-1 in Istanbul and 3-0 in Budapest but their performances were better than the scorelines suggest.

The Magyars competed in two friendlies in June, beginning with a 2-0 defeat to Sweden. They had 25-8 shots in a 2-1 win in Azerbaijan, Barnabas Varga and Dominik Szoboszlai on target in Baku.

Marco Rossi’s side took an early 2-0 lead in their opening World Cup qualifier in Dublin, Barnabas Varga and Roland Sallai scoring in the opening 15 minutes. They conceded shortly after half-time and Sallai was sent off in the 52nd minute, unable to hold on with Ireland equalising in added time.

Hungarian players to watch

Left-back Milos Kerkez was recently signed by Liverpool for €45 million and is an obvious threat. Centre-back Willi Orbán has earned 59 caps and is a leader in defence.

Dominik Szoboszlai is Hungary’s captain, talisman and standout player. The midfielder is sure to be demanding a lot of the ball in an attempt to dictate play, the 24-year-old capable of defence splitting passes and scoring spectacular goals.

Ferencváros striker Barnabas Varga has scored in his previous two games for Hungary, making it nine goals in 24 international appearances.

Head-to-head record

Portugal have won eight of their nine competitive matches against Hungary alongside one draw.

They first met in the 1966 World Cup group stage, José Augusto scoring twice and Eusébio assisting José Torres to secure a 3-1 win at Old Trafford.

The only time Hungary avoided defeat came in the final group game at the 2016 European Championship. They took the lead three times in Lyon, Nani equalising first and Ronaldo doing it twice to earn a 3-3 draw as the Seleção secured a spot in the knockout rounds and went on to win the title.

These nations last met in their opening matches at Euro 2020, Raphaël Guerreiro opening the scoring at Puskás Aréna and Ronaldo bagging two goals in a 3-0 victory.

Roberto Martínez quotes

"We've already said that the qualifying stage only has six games. The key game is the next one. Tomorrow's game is essential, so we can demonstrate the same focus and attitude, and then the result will follow the performance. We need to focus on all of them as very important games."

In the national team, what we have is individual talent, then we need to work together, look at the dynamics, the connections. This will be the 32nd game since I arrived. This creates a different aspect. Everything is part of it, we've expanded the group, there's greater competitiveness in the positions, players who come in to make a difference."

It's important to prepare for both games. I like to prepare for both games. We'll use players according to their fitness level and their current season. Our routine is to train and decide after training. We need to wait another 24 hours."

I've already talked a lot about what Ronaldo conveys, but these aren't aspects of the future, they're aspects of day-to-day life. He has a hunger to be the best. What it means to wear the jersey is the captain's message in the locker room; it helps a lot. Hungary? In games against teams with the ball, they're a strong defensive team, very strong on the counterattack. They also work very well on set pieces. The captain plays a very important role."

Ronaldo lives day to day like a young player playing for the first time. The way he dedicates himself, the freshness he has every day. World Cup? He's doing the best he can, he doesn't have long-term goals. He's a winner. He wants to be the best every day. His focus is on the day to day."

The coach prepares the tactical plan, but then it's up to the players. The coach doesn't make decisions based solely on ideas. What we prepare is one thing, but then it's the level of the players that determines whether they're on the pitch or not."

João Neves is a player who only changes his position without the ball in the national team. Cancelo is an attacking, versatile player. We all know both players. Tomorrow we need to stick to the plan, both can execute it. We've experimented a lot, playing one or the other isn't new."

We talk a lot about results. What we're working towards is performance. We need to show the same intensity. We need to keep going. Then we can look at the result, but the focus is on playing with the same personality in a spectacular environment. The focus is on trying to win. Portugal, when it plays, tries to give everything to win."