With only 1 year left, the 2026 World Cup will kick off, the recent Nations League championship is an inaccurate measure for Roberto Martinez and his team. They defeated Spain, one of the strongest teams in the world at the moment, to step up to the championship.
The Nations League is only rated lower than EURO and the World Cup in terms of organization. As for quality, it deserves to be placed next to the above major awards. Europe's top teams are fully gathered with the brightest stars. To win the Nations League at this time is difficult for anyone else to win the World Cup or EURO.
Coming into this year's tournament, the "European Selecao" under Roberto Martinez has a large but also very experienced personnel squad. In the semi-final match against Germany, when the game was at a level of balance, Martinez used all 5 substitutions, especially sending Vitinha onto the field and crushing the home team.
In the final, Martinez used up to 6 substitutions. When he sent Rafael Leao onto the pitch, the AC Milan star stirred up the entire two extra periods. This is another proof that Portugal's current squad is very even, with the main and reserve players at a balanced level.
Looking back at the journey of adjusting the playing style of the Portuguese team, it can be seen that Roberto Martinez had to be very persistent and hard-working. At EURO 2024, Portugal had a streak of 3 consecutive matches without scoring any goals and lost to France on penalties. At that time, Martinez considered this a difficult problem to solve. However, in the 2025 Nations League, he seems to have found the most accurate answer.
One of the biggest problems for the "European Selecao" coaches is Ronaldo. At the 2022 World Cup, Fernando Santos put CR7 on the bench but still could not reach the final. Two years later, when Martinez took over the team, he did not deny the role of CR7. The Spanish strategist always believes that Ronaldo must still be the locomotive, only the arrangement must change over time as the superstar gets older.
At this point, when Ronaldo scored in both the semi-finals and finals, becoming the top scorer of the Nations League, no one can deny his role in the Portuguese squad under Roberto Martinez.
Before the 2025 Nations League, there were rumors that Martinez would be sacked if he did not win the championship. Finally, the 51-year-old coach proved that no one in the hot seat at the "European Selecao" is more confident at the moment. Martinez is capable and is supported by the PSG trio of Nuno Mendes - Vitinha - Joao Neves. These are very important factors, contributing to Portugal's achievements in this year's tournament, after together winning the UEFA Champions League.
The current Portuguese squad has a continuous inheritance, enough luggage to dream of winning the 2026 World Cup. They have a leader, Ronaldo (40 years old). Next, the most mature are Bruno Fernandes (30), Ruben Dias (28). Next is the generation of young stars such as Nuno Mendes (22), Joao Neves (20), Vitinha (25), Goncalo Inacio (23), Francisco Conceicao (29) and Leao (25).
These factors can play with many different tactical styles, creating confidence in a diverse and talented Portuguese team to prepare for countless tactical teams at the upcoming 2026 World Cup.
