Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal booked their place at the 2026 World Cup with a commanding victory over Armenia on Sunday, November 16.
After losing unexpectedly to the Ireland in their previous game, where Ronaldo was given a straight red card in the 59th minute for elbowing Irish defender Dara O'Shea, the team needed a victory in this match to guarantee their World Cup spot.
In today's victory, Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves played a major role with their stunning hat-tricks.
Portugal began the match perfectly with an early goal scored by Renato Veiga, who headed the ball into the net after a free-kick taken by Manchester United midfielder Bruno.
Armenia's Eduard Spertsyan then scored from close range in the 18th minute to make it 1-1 but after that the Portugal dominated the rest of the game.
Shortly after the victory, Ronaldo congratulated his teammates on his Instagram account and wrote, “WE'RE IN THE WORLD CUP! LET'S GO, PORTUGAL!”
Since straight red cards in international matches carry two-game ban, Ronaldo would also miss Portugal's first game in the World Cup.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is now set to play in his sixth World Cup at the age of 41.
