Armenia vs Portugal preview - Seleção start the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Yerevan | OneFootball

Portugal begin their quest for a spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday when they take on Armenia. The Group F clash takes place at Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in Yerevan.

Roberto Martinez’s side will be aiming to maintain the momentum after claiming the UEFA Nations League title in June, beating Spain on penalties in a dramatic final.

This will be the seventh meeting between these nations with Portugal winning all three encounters on home soil. It has been a tougher challenge in Armenia where two draws were followed a 3-2 victory in the 2016 European Championship qualifiers.

The match will be the Seleção’s first outing since the tragic death of Diogo Jota who was killed in June alongside his brother André Silva.

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 miss out.

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 138 goals in 221 appearances for the Seleção.

Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa, José Sá, Rui SilvaDefenders: Rúben Dias, João Cancelo, Nuno Mendes, Nuno Tavares, António Silva, Gonçalo Inácio, Renato VeigaMidfielders: Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Rúben Neves, João Palhinha, João Neves, Pedro Gonçalves, VitinhaForwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, João Félix, Pedro Neto, Gonçalo Ramos, Francisco Conceição, Francisco Trincão

Predicted lineup

João Neves started at right-back in the two Nations League games in June but I don’t see that continuing in Yerevan. João Cancelo should start with Neves joining PSG teammate Vitinha in midfield.

Portugal (4-2-3-1) Diogo Costa; João Cancelo, Rúben Dias, Gonçalo Inácio, Nuno Mendes; João Neves, Vitinha; Bruno Fernandes; Francisco Conceição, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pedro Neto

Armenia Form

Armenia suffered two heavy defeats against Georgia in the Nations League in March. They were outplayed in both legs, losing 3-0 in Yerevan and 6-1 in Tbilisi.

They played two friendlies in June, conceding four unanswered goals to go down 5-2 in Kosovo before a 2-2 draw in Montenegro. John van 't Schip was sacked after only four games in charge and has been replaced by Eghishe Melikyan.

Armenia player to watch

Eduard Spertsyan is Armenia’s captain and standout player. The attacking midfielder has played his entire career at Krasnodar and is in great form, registering four goals and five assists in his previous five matches for the Russian club.

The 25-year-old scored three of Armenia’s four goals across two friendlies in June, making it nine goals in 34 internationals.

Head-to-head record

Portugal have a 4-0 advantage against Armenia alongside two draws.

They first met in the 1998 World Cup qualifiers, a 0-0 draw in Yerevan followed by a 3-1 victory in Setúbal where Domingos Paciência, Luís Figo and Pedro Barbosa found the net.

They met again in the 2008 European Championship qualifiers, Cristiano Ronaldo equalising in a 1-1 draw in Armenia before a 1-0 win in Leiria where Hugo Almeida netted the winning goal.

The last encounters came in the 2016 European Championship qualifiers, Portugal winning 1-0 at Estádio Algarve with Ronaldo on target. Armenia took the lead at home before Ronaldo hit a hat-trick to secure a 3-2 victory.

Roberto Martínez quotes

“This is the first training camp without Diogo Jota. We know what he meant to each of us. We want to honor his memory every day. He will be with us and will be another force in achieving our goals. His example is a light for us. We will carry his spirit in our hearts. We will win for Diogo, for his brother André, as we always do for all Portuguese people. We will call up 23+1.

“Portugal plays to win, and we accept that this is our pressure. The focus is to continue on this path, continue improving tactically and on the pitch, and improve on everything we demonstrated to win the Nations League. September is a difficult month, a new season for the players, and we need to start well. It's a challenge for us to continue what we're doing.

“Winning the title in Germany against a team like Spain was a very important psychological moment for the team. The important thing is to build a team, and we've evolved a lot. We can go toe-to-toe with any team in the world, and that's not about talent; it's about dynamism and belief in the locker room. We have a new competition; it's part of the same process we started two and a half years ago.”