Portugal vs Hungary preview - Seleção on the brink of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

Portugal will aim for a fourth straight victory in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday when they host Hungary at Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon.

The Magyars made it tough for Roberto Martínez’s side in Budapest just over a month ago, João Cancelo scoring in the 86th minute to secure a 3-2 victory.

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

Cristiano Ronaldo’s scoring run came to an end in the 1-0 win against against Ireland on Saturday, the 40-year-old hitting the post early on and seeing his second half penalty saved by Caoimhín Kelleher. He has scored seven goals in his previous five appearances against Hungary.

Portugal Squad

Injuries meant João Cancelo missed out after being called up in September and João Neves withdrew, his spot taken by Nuno Tavares. João Félix and Tavares were withdrawn from the matchday squad against Ireland.

Rafael Leão came off the bench against Ireland and Gonçalo Inácio was withdrawn at half-time, both players have been released from the squad.

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 141 goals in 224 appearances for the Seleção.

Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa, José Sá, Rui Silva

Defenders: Diogo Dalot, Nélson Semedo, Nuno Mendes, Rúben Dias, António Silva, Renato Veiga, Nuno Tavares

Midfielders: João Palhinha, Rúben Neves, Matheus Nunes, Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes, Pedro Gonçalves, Bernardo Silva

Forwards: João Félix, Francisco Trincão, Francisco Conceição, Pedro Neto, Gonçalo Ramos, Cristiano Ronaldo

Predicted lineup

I am expecting Roberto Martínez to bring Renato Veiga and Nélson Semedo into the starting side here.

The manager could start Francisco Trincão in his home stadium, the winger winning Portugal’s penalty against Ireland and delivering the assist for Rúben Neves.

Portugal (4-2-3-1) Diogo Costa; Nélson Semedo, Rúben Dias, Renato Veiga, Nuno Mendes; Rúben Neves, Vitinha; Francisco Trincão, Bruno Fernandes, Pedro Neto; Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal Form

Portugal started the World Cup qualifiers with a dominant 5-0 win in Armenia. João Félix and Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice with João Cancelo getting on the score sheet, ending the contest in Yerevan with 6.34-0.19 expected goals.

The Seleção fell behind in Hungary when Barnabas Varga headed home, Bernardo Silva equalising in Budapest and Ronaldo putting them ahead from the penalty spot. Varga equalised in the 84th minute, Cancelo coming up with a great goal two minutes later to secure a 3-2 victory.

Roberto Martinez’s side dominated Republic of Ireland at Estádio José Alvalade where they left it late to come away with a 1-0 win. Ronaldo hit the post early on and Bernardo Silva missed the follow up, Francisco Trincão coming off the bench and winning a penalty that Ronaldo couldn’t get past Caoimhín Kelleher.

Trincão’s cross was headed home by Rúben Neves in added time, the midfielder scoring his first international goal in Portugal’s first home game since the tragic death of Diogo Jota.

Hungary Form

Hungary had a strong start in the World Cup qualifiers, Barnabas Varga and Roland Sallai scoring inside the opening 15 minutes to establish a 2-0 lead in Dublin. They conceded shortly after half-time and went close to holding on after Sallai was sent off in the 52nd minute, Ireland making it 2-2 in added time.

Varga scored to establish an early lead against Portugal before falling 2-1 behind. He equalised in the 84th minute but it wasn’t enough to earn the Magyars a point in Budapest, conceding two minutes later in a 3-2 defeat.

Marco Rossi’s side were too good for Armenia on Saturday, registering a deserved 2-0 win at Puskás Aréna. The game was deadlocked at half-time, Daniel Lukacs scoring in the 56th minute before Zsombor Gruber secured all three points in added time.

Hungarian players to watch

Left-back Milos Kerkez was signed by Liverpool for €45 million but is in poor form. Willi Orbán has earned 61 caps and is a mainstay in central defence.

Dominik Szoboszlai is Hungary’s captain, the 24-year-old possessing plenty of talent with the ball.

Barnabas Varga has scored four goals in his previous three games for Hungary and will be fresh after sitting out the match against Armenia due to suspension. The Ferencváros striker has netted 11 goals in just 25 caps.

Roland Sallai returns from a two game suspension and is another dangerous player. He has scored 15 goals in 61 appearances for Hungary.

Head-to-head record

Portugal have won nine of their ten 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 occasion 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 equalising twice to earn the Seleção a 3-3 draw and a spot in the knockout rounds as they went on to win the title.

They met again in in the group stage at Euro 2020, Raphaël Guerreiro opening the scoring in Budapest where Ronaldo scored twice in a 3-0 victory.

Roberto Martínez quotes

“It was the game we expected. Ireland were better than what we saw at the September training camp. They were hurt after the Armenia game, and we expected a reaction and this aggressiveness. They played very well.”

“But for us, it was important not to get anxious, not to lose concentration, and to open counter attacks and create set pieces. We had nine corners, compared to Ireland's zero. They didn't have a shot on goal.

“Overall, the performance without the ball was very good. We needed to score an early goal, but I really liked the team's resilience, their values, and their ability to not lose control. It was a hard-fought but deserved victory.

“Diogo Jota's strength is with us and is always an inspiration and an opportunity to continue with his dream, which is ours. He is a special strength and today was a celebration. It is yet another sign of responsibility and of our mission to continue Diogo's dream, which is also the dream of all of us.

“The emotional aspect is important, but I think the group is calm and working very well. You can see the strength we have at home. There's an energy in the atmosphere that makes the player want to come back. Trying to qualify for the World Cup in front of our fans. It really helps emotionally.

“I think our goal average is that of one of the best teams in the world. We need to value our performance with the ball in detail, more objectively. We're an attacking team that creates opportunities. We've done that against Germany and Spain.

“My responsibility is to create a competitive environment, an attacking team. This is where you get your luck. Thirteen wins in the Euro and World Cup qualifying stages. It's never been done before. I think what the national team achieves comes from hard work, we need to talk more about what the players are doing well than about the coach's luck.

“Criticism is part of the game. I'd like it to be informed. The focus is on enjoying the national team more. There's no perfect team, but I think the players deserve more respect for what they're doing. Everyone has an opinion. It's part of the game. I don't see a problem here.

“We have to evaluate the overall performance. Off the ball, it was exemplary. What we did without the ball is important; we left Ireland without corners, without throws. It's a good performance, but we lacked an early goal. The ball hits the post and goes out. I like the expected goals statistic.

“What we can't lose is what we did without the ball, the resilience of continuing to try to do what we believe in. No one talks about the winning goal; it wasn't bad luck or good luck, it was a play, quality, a cross, and a finish. It's Portugal. It's deserved. We want to keep improving. We can improve our fluidity and speed. And we can continue with what we did well.

“The important thing is to have a team with energy and clarity. It's not just the starting eleven. I think it's important that everyone is prepared for a demanding game. Félix will train this afternoon. We usually make two or three substitutions. It's part of what we work on.

“I think what's important is versatility. There are players who can play in many positions. Ruben Neves has played center-back. We have players who can play center-back, as we've already done with Palhinha. We have Matheus Nunes who can play full-back. The role is always to have a good defensive line and a good reaction. It's not the position, it's the player's attitude in that position.

“Hungary has incredible synchronization, they look like a club. They have an incredible counterattack. They're a complete team. I expect a performance similar to the one in Budapest.”