Roberto Martínez unveiled Portugal’s 27-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday, May 19, at the Cidade do Futebol, with a selection that featured few surprises but several notable omissions.
There were no debut call-ups in the squad, though the inclusions of Samu Costa, Ricardo Velho, and Gonçalo Guedes stood out. Left out were several players involved in recent international camps, including Ricardo Horta (SC Braga), António Silva (Benfica), João Palhinha (Tottenham), Pedro Gonçalves (Sporting CP), and Rodrigo Mora (FC Porto).
One player heavily linked in the past few days with a potential call-up was Bournemouth striker Eli Junior Kroupi. The 19-year-old is eligible to represent France, Portugal, or the Ivory Coast. Martínez confirmed that the Portuguese federation explored the possibility of bringing him into the squad. However, Kroupi currently intends to represent France.
Cristiano Ronaldo headlines the squad as he prepares for his sixth World Cup appearance, having previously featured in the tournaments of 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022.
Martínez also delivered an emotional tribute to former Portugal forward Diogo Jota, explaining that the squad was selected as “27 players plus one” in honor of the late striker, who died in a car crash last summer.
“The final list includes 27 names plus one,” Martínez said. “To lose Diogo Jota was an unforgettable and incredibly difficult moment. But the very next day, it became our responsibility to fight for Diogo’s dream and to honor the example he set within the national team. His spirit, his strength, his example — Diogo Jota will forever be the plus one.”
The inclusion of four goalkeepers caught everybody off guard. Ricardo Velho, however, is not officially part of the final tournament roster. Instead, he has been named as an emergency option in the event one of Portugal’s three primary goalkeepers suffers an injury before or during the competition.
Portugal has been drawn into Group K alongside Uzbekistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Colombia. The Seleção will play its first two group-stage matches in Houston, Texas, against DR Congo and Uzbekistan before concluding the group phase against Colombia in Miami.
Portugal’s 2026 World Cup squad
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (FC Porto), José Sá (Wolves), Rui Silva (Sporting CP)
Emergency goalkeeper: Ricardo Velho (Gençlerbirliği Ankara)
Defenders: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Matheus Nunes (Manchester City), Nélson Semedo (Fenerbahçe SK), João Cancelo (Barcelona), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Gonçalo Inácio (Sporting CP), Renato Veiga (Villarreal), Rúben Dias (Manchester City), Tomás Araújo (Benfica)
Midfielders: Rúben Neves (Al Hilal), Samu Costa (Mallorca), João Neves (PSG), Vitinha (PSG), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
Forwards: João Félix (Al Nassr), Francisco Trincão (Sporting CP), Francisco Conceição (Juventus), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Rafael Leão (AC Milan), Gonçalo Guedes (Real Sociedad), Gonçalo Ramos (PSG), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr)
