The Portugal national team, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, was eliminated from the 2026 World Cup after losing to Spain 1-0. The winning goal for Spain was scored by Mikel Merino in the 45th minute of the second half.

What happened?

The match was played in Arlington and Spain confirmed their favoritism. The 1-0 victory came after a balanced game, but Spain showed more efficiency.

Why is this important for Portugal?

The defeat means that the Portugal national team is out of the 2026 World Cup. This is a blow to the team, which had shown good performance in previous games, with a recent record of 3W-2D-0L in the last 5 games.

What comes next?

The Portugal national team is now preparing for the next challenge, a match against Wales at home, scheduled for 2026-09-24. Heading into this match, the team needs to recover from the defeat and focus on improving their performance.