Portugal well on the way to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

Portugal have quickly moved into a strong position to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada next summer.

Victories over Armenia and Hungary in away matches in their first two qualifying matches fired Portugal to the top of Group F and they are massive favourites to get the job done.

Read on as we look at the latest outright betting for the tournament, before assessing whether Roberto Martínez’s side will clinch automatic qualification.

Portugal’s players observe the minute's silence in memory of Diogo Jota before the Armenia match. (Photo: Diogo Pinto/FPF)

World Cup 2026 - Betting

Leading online sportsbook operator Betway has Portugal at 9/1 to win the World Cup, odds which are a fair reflection of their chances next summer. Here is the latest outright betting:

Portugal off to a strong start to their qualifying campaign

Portugal had little difficulty overcoming Armenia in their opening qualifier, but were made to work much harder by Hungary three days later.

Goals by Bernardo Silva, Cristiano Ronaldo and João Cancelo sealed a 3-2 victory, although they had to wait until the 86th minute to score the decisive goal.

Ronaldo’s goal was his 39th in World Cup qualifying matches, making him the joint-highest ever scorer alongside Guatemala’s Carlos Ruiz.

The 40-year-old extended his international record to 141 goals in 223 appearances for Portugal, and he will fancy his chances of adding to his tally over the next couple of months.

While the home side pushed Portugal hard at the Puskas Arena, Martínez was happy they eventually hauled themselves over the winning line.

“I’m delighted that we scored two goals from open play,” he said. “We looked very threatening from set pieces, and we got the penalty.

“Among everything, it’s the character that this team is building. A winning mentality, a resilience. It was very important to have that mentality in the game to be able to get the win.

“We weren’t as tactically fluid as we were against Armenia, but we deserved to win.”

Portugal will continue their qualification bid in October with home fixtures against the Republic of Ireland and Hungary. They each have one point after two games.

Armenia’s surprise 2-1 victory over Ireland opened the door for Portugal to qualify easily, but they cannot afford to take anything for granted.

Cancelo will be missing from the upcoming games after suffering an injury in a recent Saudi Pro League fixture. He could also be absent from the final two fixtures in November.

Despite this, Portugal have their fate in their own hands and should have little difficulty in securing a spot at next year’s tournament in North America.

“Ronaldo transmists ‘what it means’ to wear the Portugal shirt,” says coach Roberto Martínez

Although Ronaldo was on target in each of Portugal’s first two games, it is unclear whether he will lead the line if they qualify for the World Cup.

Martínez says the 40-year-old remains ‘hungry to be the best’ and will be pulling out all the stops to represent his country next summer.

“He’s doing the best he can - he doesn’t have long-term goals,” Martínez said. “He wants to be the best every day. His focus is on the day-to-day.

“I’ve already talked a lot about what he conveys, but these aren’t aspects of the future – they’re aspects of everyday life.

“What it means to wear the Portugal jersey is the captain’s message in the locker room – it helps a lot.”