PREVIEW: Portugal begin Nations League defence against Wales | OneFootball

Defending champions Portugal aim for a positive start with new manager Jorge Jesus against Wales, who seek an upset in Lisbon.

June 2025 saw Portugal crowned champions over Spain in the last Nations League final, as they won on penalties following a 2-2 draw after extra time.

Since then, they sought for World Cup glory this summer with a stacked, talented squad across all areas of the pitch; however, they failed to make it to the quarter-finals due to a 1-0 loss to the eventual world champions, Spain.

Change occurred in the managerial department as Roberto Martínez stepped down after the campaign, which made way for Jorge Jesus to succeed him after a few years of managing Saudi Arabian sides Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr.

Cristiano Ronaldo still appears as a central figure for Portugal as captain at the age of 41, with the Portugal head coach confirming his involvement in the first game of Group A4. He said: “If nothing special happens today, Ronaldo will start tomorrow.

He continued firmly: “I notice that your concern is centred on whether Cristiano is ready to play. Cris [Cristiano] is a symbol of Portugal, but that does not give him the right to play every match.”

As a clear stance was made on the involvement of Ronaldo, the task remains the same for Seleção das Quinas to top Group A4 as favourites.

Meanwhile, Wales missed out on featuring in the World Cup, so it was a summer on the sidelines for Craig Bellamy’s side.

It’s been a difficult year for Wales, who are yet to win a match in 2026 — a run that includes a 2-1 friendly defeat to Romania, and a penalty shootout defeat to Bosnia & Herzegovina that ended their World Cup hopes.

Despite the disappointment, it’s major progression for the Dragons to be in League A of the Nations League, promoted from League B after their 10 wins in 22 games in the 24/25 season.

Ahead of the game, Bellamy commented on how he views Wales’ aim for the Nations League.

“The Nations League is amazing. I love it,” he said. “We got promoted, so we’ve earned the right to be here because that’s how it works. “If we finish third, we have a very good chance of going as the top 12 seeds into the Euro qualifiers, so that’s a huge carrot for us.”

The last time Wales played Portugal was 10 years ago in the European Championship, where they were defeated 2-0 in the semi-finals.

Injury problems were present for Wales, with Leeds forward Harry Wilson, as well as Joe Rodon and Karl Darlow, who didn’t make the squad. No injury concerns are present for Jorge Jesus’ first Portugal squad selection.

The match will kick off on Thursday, September 24th, at 7:45pm BST and will be broadcast on BBC One Wales, BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.