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Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has expressed his delight after his team secured qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Eastern Updates recalls that Portugal became the latest nation to qualify for the tournament after defeating Armenia 9-1 at Estádio do Dragão on Sunday.
They joined the other 30 countries that had already secured World Cup qualification.
Ronaldo, who received a red card in Portugal’s 2-0 defeat against the Republic of Ireland a few days earlier, did not feature against Armenia.
In his absence, goals from Renato Veiga, Gonçalo Ramos, Bruno Fernandes (3), João Neves (3) and Francisco Conceição secured the emphatic win for Portugal.
Reacting on X after the game, Ronaldo wrote: “WE’RE IN THE WORLD CUP! LET’S GO, PORTUGAL!”
The 2026 World Cup will be staged across three nations – Mexico, the United States and Canada.
In other news, The Super Eagles’ 2026 World Cup dream suffered a major blow on Sunday as DR Congo advanced to the intercontinental playoff following a dramatic penalty shootout at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying ended in heartbreaking fashion, marking the second consecutive year the Super Eagles will miss out on the world stage.
The match ended 1–1 after 120 minutes of regulation and extra time, sending the high-stakes encounter to penalties.
Nigeria initially went ahead through Frank Onyeka in the third minute, but DR Congo equalised in the 32nd minute through M. Elia.
Extra time saw both teams create chances, with Tolu Arokodare missing a header for Nigeria and Nwabali making a crucial save from a DR Congo free kick, but neither side could break the deadlock.
The tension continued into the penalty shootout.
Nigeria’s Calvin Bassey and Moses Simon missed early chances, while Nwabali denied DR Congo’s first penalty.
