Portugal win 9-1 against Armenia without Cristiano Ronaldo, Qualify for World Cup 2026

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Portugal delivered a dominant performance against Armenia in their final 2026 World Cup qualifying match, winning 9-1 at Estádio do Dragão on Sunday (November 16).

Despite the absence of suspended star Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal secured direct qualification to the World Cup with this emphatic victory. Ronaldo missed out the match after his Red Card in the last encounter against Ireland.

Portugal took control early, with Renato Veiga opening the scoring in the 7th minute. Gonçalo Ramos added a second goal at 28 minutes, followed by João Neves scoring three times (30', 41', 81'), completing a hat-trick. Bruno Fernandes netted a hat-trick as well, which included two penalties.

Francisco Conceição also scored in stoppage time (90+2'). Armenia's only goal came from Eduard Spertsyan in the 18th minute with a precise assist from Grant-Leon Ranos.

The match statistics highlighted Portugal's dominance: 76% possession, 34 total shots with 8 big chances, and an expected goals (xG) of 5.21 compared to Armenia's 0.75. The hosts showed no mercy in this one-sided affair, with three players scoring hat-tricks and three others contributing one goal each.

This victory confirmed Portugal's top spot in Group F with 13 points, ensuring direct passage to the 2026 World Cup. Ireland finished second with 10 points, advancing to the playoffs, while Hungary and Armenia's campaigns ended. Armenia's loss matched a previous heavy defeat (1-9 against Italy in 2019) and was near their worst ever.

Portugal vs Armenia Lineups

Portugal: Diogo Costa; Nélson Semedo, Renato Veiga, Ruben Dias, João Cancelo; João Neves, Bernardo Silva, Vitinha; Bruno Fernandes, Gonçalo Ramos, Rafael Leão.

Armenia: Henri Avagyan; Erik Piloyan, Sergey Muradyan, Styopa Mkrtchyan, Nair Tiknizyan; Narek Aghasaryan, Karen Muradyan, Eduard Spertsyan; Kamo Hovhannisyan, Grant-Leon Ranos, Artur Serobyan.

The match was a decisive and celebratory moment for Portugal as they book their place at the 2026 World Cup, while Armenia faced a tough defeat to conclude their qualifying campaign.