Portugal's national team, without Cristiano Ronaldo, thrashed Armenia 9-1 at home and secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup as leaders of Group F in the European qualifiers. This will be Portugal's ninth appearance at a World Cup and the seventh in a row. In the first half, Renato Veiga (7th minute), Gonçalo Ramos (28th), João Neves (30th and 41st), and Bruno Fernandes in added time scored for the Portuguese, while Eduard Spertsyan (18th) temporarily equalized for the losing side. In the second half, Bruno Fernandes sealed the hat-trick with two more penalties (6th and 27th minutes), João Neves added another (36th), and Francisco Conceição scored the ninth in the final minute (47th). This victory allowed Roberto Martínez's team to move past the setback in Ireland and confidently secure their place in the tournament.
