Portugal odds & fixtures

Ronaldo's swan song? What does Portugal have in store for Qatar?

The Portuguese team's greatest achievement in the history of the World Cup was winning a bronze medal in 1966. The team has never won a World Cup medal since, finishing just fourth in 2006.

Portugal look like one of the biggest mysteries of the upcoming World Cup. The team has a lot of young talents, but it still depends on Cristiano Ronaldo. The Manchester United forward is expected to be the driving force.

Path of Portugal to the 2022 World Cup

Portugal made life very difficult for themselves by losing to Serbia in the last round of the European qualification. The team went to an extra tournament where a potential match with Italy awaited them. Many experts even said that it would be a playoff level game before the World Cup. But while Portugal got through Turkey (3:1), Italy lost their first match.

So, instead of the defending European champions, Portugal were facing a modest team of Northern Macedonia. Thanks to two goals by Bruno Fernandes, the game was easily won. That's how Portugal qualified for the 2022 World Cup.

World Cup prospects: Ronaldo could be either a messiah or an anchor

Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Diogo Jota and João Cancelo are all world class players but Cristiano Ronaldo is still the leader of the Portuguese. Given his reputation and merits, the coaching staff would not dare to limit his playing time or favour any of the rivals.

That is where the biggest mystery lies - how will Ronaldo perform in the tournament? He has scored 3 goals in 16 games for the club this season and has also been at the centre of several scandals. If nothing changes, and Ronaldo plays in Qatar like he did in September and October, the team's prospects are murky.

But there is another possibility - Cristiano finds the motivation for the last tournament of this scale in his career, pulls himself together and produces a month of top-level game. Portugal can then contend for medals.

In the group, the team will play Uruguay, Ghana and South Korea. It is important to advance from the first place to avoid a potential meeting with Brazil already in the Round of 16.