Overview
The Portuguese national team entered the 2026-2027 Nations League season under new coach Jorge Jesus. He was appointed in July after Roberto Martinez left the national team after the 2026 World Cup.
At the 2026 World Cup, Portugal stopped in the round of 16 after a 0-1 defeat to Spain, who then won the championship. This is also Portugal's first defeat since November 2025.
Portugal once won the Nations League in their first season 2018-2019, after defeating the Netherlands 1-0 in the final. 6 years later, they continued to be crowned champions when they defeated Spain on penalties in the 2024-2025 season final.
In this Nations League, Portugal is in League A, a group including Wales, Denmark and Norway. The teams will play in a home and away format to compete for tickets to the quarterfinals.
Jorge Jesus's team will be guests at the Norwegian stadium in the last match in September. In October, Portugal will continue to face Denmark away before returning home to host Norway.
This is Jorge Jesus's first tournament as Portuguese captain after he took over the national team. The arrival of this coach opens a new phase for the "European Selecao", after Martinez left his position.
On the opposite side, Wales will not participate in the 2026 World Cup. Coach Craig Bellamy's team lost to Bosnia & Herzegovina in the play-off semi-finals in March.
After that, Wales went through 3 matches, including 2 friendly draws with Northern Ireland and Ghana, before losing to Romania 1-2 in their most recent appearance.
Wales returns to League A Nations League after winning promotion from League B in the 2024-2025 season. After 22 matches in the league, they have 10 wins, 5 draws and 7 defeats.
According to the schedule announced by UEFA, Wales will meet Denmark on September 27, Norway on October 2nd and continue to face Denmark on October 5th.
The head-to-head history between Wales and Portugal leans towards the Iberian Peninsula team. The two teams have met four times, of which Wales only won one, in a friendly match in May 1951.
The only official encounter between the two teams took place in the EURO 2016 semi-finals. Portugal won 2-0 thanks to goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani, before reaching the final and then winning the championship.
Personnel situation
After Portugal's defeat to Spain in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, Ronaldo's future in the national team jersey was once questioned. However, he continues to be trusted by Jorge Jesus.
Meanwhile, Wales entered the match with many personnel losses. Harry Wilson, Nathan Broadhead and Karl Darlow all withdrew from the list due to injuries.
David Cornell of Leicester City, Joe Taylor of Huddersfield Town and Charlie Savage of Reading were additionally called up to replace them.
Expected lineup:
Costa, Cancelo, Dias, Veiga, Mendes, Vitinha, J. Neves, Neto, Fernandes, Felix, Ronaldo.
Ward, N. Williams, Cabango, Norrington-Davies, Dasilva, Ampadu, J. James, Brooks, Thomas, Johnson, D. James.
The match between Portugal and Wales takes place at 1:45 am on September 25 (Vietnam time).
