A history of Portugal at the World Cup

Find out about Portugal history at the World Cup. Learn about their most famous victories, biggest wins, highest capped players, top scorers, and more!

As one of Europe’s best sides, Portugal have more than made an impact at the World Cup, becoming a large part of the tournament for decades.

Despite not appearing in the competition until much later than other nations, Portugal are still woven into the fabric of the World Cup, creating some special moments and being involved in some huge games.

This blog will cover the history of Portugal at the World Cup, looking into their record at the tournament, special memories, top appearance makers and goalscorers, and much more!

What is Portugal’s World Cup record?

Though Portugal have never won the World Cup, they’ve still managed to put together some good runs at the tournament. This includes them managing to impressively finish in third place in their first campaign in 1966!

They’ve only had nine appearances at the World Cup so far, with their current run of successive qualifications being seven. In this time, though, they’ve played 35 games, winning 17, drawing six, and losing 12, giving them a reasonable win rate of 48.6%.

In recent years, they’ve arguably underperformed in relation to the quality of players they have on the team. This is more evident considering they won the Euros in 2016 but got knocked out of the 2018 World Cup in the round of 16 against Uruguay!

Portugal can only hope to reproduce some of the Euros-winning form they showed a decade ago and have another special tournament this year.

How might Portugal perform against their group stage opponents?

The group stage for the 2026 World Cup puts Portugal up against Uzbekistan, Colombia, and the winner of the playoff match in March between Congo DR, Jamaica, and New Caledonia.

Considering Portugal has never played against any of these teams before, we can’t say for sure how they could perform in the upcoming games. But, looking at the FIFA rankings we can get somewhat of an idea of how these games could pan out.

Uzbekistan

Currently, Uzbekistan sit 52nd in the FIFA rankings, placing them far below Portugal who are placed in sixth. This will leave the European side as heavy favourites going into the game, considering they’re 46 places ahead.

Considering the Portugal squad’s market value is drastically higher, standing at €841,000,000 compared to Uzbekistan’s €14,850,000, it again emphasises that Portugal have a strong chance of victory in this game.

Colombia

When considering the FIFA rankings here, Portugal are only eight positions ahead, with Colombia in 14th, meaning that this game could be a close match-up. As multiple Colombian players compete in top European leagues like Luis Diaz at Bayern Munich, Daniél Muñoz at Crystal Palace, or Luis Suarez at Sporting Lisbon, they have high calibre players who can cause any side problems.

Their squad market values do still have a large gap, however, with Colombia’s being lower by almost €556,000,000. This again emphasises that there’s still a disparity in overall quality between the two sides, favouring Portugal’s chances.

DR Congo

With the FIFA rankings putting DR Congo in 48th position they’re still 42 places behind Portugal, which doesn’t bode too well for them. This is mirrored by their squad’s market value, with it standing at €134,050,000 and dwarfed by that of Portugal’s team.

They’ll likely be bringing some Premier League experience in the team, though, as they feature the likes of former Man United duo Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Axel Tuanzebe, alongside ex-West Ham defender Arthur Masuaku, and Sunderland midfielder Noah Sadiki. Should any of them feature at the upcoming tournament, they have some players who may be able to step up if they qualify.

Jamaica

Jamaica are another opponent that FIFA ranks as much lower than Portugal, as they sit in 70th place. Considering their squad’s market value is also only €44,250,000, it’s nowhere near Portugal’s total.

They do have some Premier League-experienced players potentially at their disposal, with Brentford’s Ethan Pinnock and Rico Henry, and former Everton players Demarai Gray and Mason Holgate. Though it may not be enough to compete toe-to-toe with Portugal, they could still cause problems if they end up qualifying.

New Caledonia

Being the lowest-rated team of Portugal’s potential opponents, New Caledonia are placed 150th in the FIFA rankings. After qualifying from their group containing Fiji, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea, they earned their place in the play-offs.

But, considering the quality of opposition they’ve faced so far, there hasn’t been any evidence to say they can compete against a team of Portugal’s quality. If they qualify for the World Cup, though, the match will still be an interesting watch considering it’s the first time the two sides have ever played each other.

Iconic Portugal World Cup memories

Though Portugal haven’t won the tournament, they’ve had more than a few iconic memories over the years. Whether it’s from their impressive debut tournament in 1966, or their notable run in the 2006 World Cup, here are some of the very best moments they’ve had so far:

• Comeback against North Korea (1966): In their first ever World Cup campaign, things didn’t look good as they went 3-0 down to North Korea after 25 minutes. Inspired by Eusebio’s hat-trick, Portugal clawed back the game and got the winner through José Augusto in the 80th minute, marking a historic result.

• Securing third place (1966): Despite being defeated by England narrowly in the semi-final, Portugal ended up in a third-place play-off match against the USSR. After a composed performance and goals from Eusebio and José Torres, Portugal secured their highest ever World Cup finish.

• Unbeaten in the groups (1966): Being in their first campaign at the World Cup, nobody could be sure as to how Portugal might perform. They impressed everyone, however, with three wins from three in their group, beating Hungary and the holders Brazil 3-1, along with a 3-0 win over Bulgaria. With Eusebio also scoring in every match, he proved himself as the best attacker at the tournament.

• Overcoming the Netherlands (2006): In an action-packed and drama-filled spectacle, Portugal managed to beat the Netherlands in a narrow 1-0 win. Both teams finished the game with nine players after four red cards were awarded, with 12 yellow cards also being given out. Maniche scored the only goal of the game in the 23rd minute, which proved decisive in sending Portugal into the quarter-final against England after a heated and tight game.

• Achieving their best finish since 1966 (2006): Following on from their win over the Netherlands, Portugal faced England in the quarter-final. The game was extremely tense, with both sides having chances but neither could put them away. Rooney’s red card in the 62nd minute then hindered England’s chances, and, after extra time, Portugal went through 3-1 on penalties. This helped them to record their best finish at the World Cup since 1966, after losing to France in the semi-final and Germany in the third-place play-off match.

Portugal’s biggest World Cup wins

Considering Portugal’s frontline has been home to some of the best players in world football, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Eusebio, their attack has always been a huge threat to any opposition. That said, here are the biggest and best wins they’ve had at the World Cup:

7-0 vs North Korea (2010)

Being the first time the two sides played each other since their memorable 1966 meeting, the game already had a lot riding on it. Portugal came into this game and ripped the North Korean defence apart completely and showed no mercy. Despite only leading 1-0 at half-time, Simão’s goal sparked the rest as they stunned their opposition with six goals after the 53rd minute.

6-1 vs Switzerland (2022)

Though the main story heading into this game was Ronaldo being dropped, Portugal weren’t affected by his absence one bit. His replacement, Goncalo Ramos, managed to score a hat-trick, and centre-back Pepe became the second-oldest scorer in World Cup history after netting from a corner aged 39. Left-back Raphaël Guerreiro also grabbed one for himself, with Rafael Leao rounding out a great performance in the 92nd minute. Manuel Akanji got the only consolation for Switzerland in the 58th minute, but it wasn’t enough as his side were already four goals down.

Portugal’s biggest World Cup defeats

Despite having an impressive attacking record, they’ve also suffered some big defeats at the World Cup too. Here are the worst defeats that they’ve faced at the tournament to date:

4-0 vs Germany (2014)

Thomas Müller was the star of the show in this group game, scoring a hat-trick that helped him on his way to the Golden Boot. The Bayern Munich forward kicked off the scoring with an early penalty before smashing home a third and tapping in a fourth for Germany. Central defender Mats Hummels headed in a second goal for the Germans before being substituted for a knee injury. The game was wrapped up by half-time after it was already 3-0, with Portugal going down to ten men after defender Pepe received a red card in the 37th minute.

3-1 vs Morocco (1986)

Finishing bottom of their group, the 1986 campaign was one to forget for Portugal. The result against Morocco summarised how this tournament went for them, with the African side becoming the first from the continent to make it to the knockout stages. Abderrazak Khairi was the standout for Morocco, as he scored two goals, with Abdelkrim Merry scoring a third and securing the win.

3-1 vs Germany (2006)

Despite being part of Portugal’s second-best World Cup campaign, this result was still one of the worst they’ve faced. Taking place in the third-place play-off game, Germany comfortably came out as victors after two long-range goals from Bastian Schweinsteiger and an own goal from Armando Petit. The only consolation came late on, with Nuno Gomes scoring a diving header in the 88th minute.

Who has made the most World Cup appearances for Portugal?

Portugal’s national team has had a few mainstays in the team that have been able to demonstrate high levels of longevity. With certain players attending as many as five tournaments so far, let’s see who their current top appearance makers are:

Who has scored the most World Cup goals for Portugal?

Some of the best attackers in world football have featured in Portugal’s national team, and their World Cup records reflect who their best goalscorers have been. Let’s look at the most prolific players for Portugal at the tournament so far:

With the upcoming tournament likely being his last, Ronaldo will be keen to end his career at the top of the list. This means we can hope to see more goals from him in the summer, whether he’s a regular starter or just a situational weapon!

Can Portugal win their first World Cup this year?

They may not be favourites as we head into the 2026 tournament, but Portugal are also by no means a long shot either.

They’ve got some incredible players in the team, with a defence including Premier League winner Rúben Dias, a midfield with PSG duo Vitinha and João Neves, and attacking players including the talented Bruno Fernandes and of course Cristiano Ronaldo.

So, with many game-changers throughout the team, Portugal could certainly become the tournament winner in 2026!

How to bet on Portugal at the 2026 World Cup

World Cup betting is always an enthralling prospect as the best players from every nation compete to win the most coveted prize in world football. At Betway, we give users access to a wide array of markets, even specific Portugal World Cup betting markets. Head over to the Betway site or use our mobile app through the App Store or Play Store to start your World Cup betting now!

Portugal World Cup FAQs

Has Portugal ever reached the World Cup semi-final?

Yes, Portugal have reached the World Cup semi-final twice. Once in their debut campaign in 1966, where they lost 2-1 to England, and in 2006 where they faced France after beating England on penalties in the quarter-finals.