Despite Cristiano Ronaldo becoming the all-time leading scorer in World Cup Qualifiers with a brace against Hungary, Portugal had to settle for a 2-2 draw, delaying their official qualification for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Still, Roberto Martinez’s side remains in full control of its destiny. Portugal will face Ireland on November 13 and Armenia on November 16 in their final two qualifying matches — and will need just one point from those games to secure a place at the 2026 World Cup.
Portugal came close to securing qualification against Hungary. After falling behind early, Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to put his team ahead and move them within reach of the 2026 World Cup. To clinch their spot, Portugal also needed Armenia to drop points against Ireland — which happened, as Ireland earned a 1-0 win.
However, just when it looked like celebrations were about to erupt at Lisbon’s Jose Alvalade Stadium, Hungary’s Dominik Szoboszlai scored a dramatic equalizer in the 91st minute, silencing the home crowd and delaying Portugal’s qualification for at least one more matchday.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Dominik Szoboszlai speak to the referee. (Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)
All the teams qualified for the 2026 World Cup so far
Seven more nations officially punched their ticket to the 2026 World Cup during the latest round of qualifiers, bringing the total number of confirmed teams to 28, with 20 spots still up for grabs.
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While some regions have already wrapped up their qualification campaigns, all continental qualifiers will conclude by November 18, 2025. After that, the intercontinental playoffs, scheduled between March 23–31, 2026, will determine the final nations heading to the tournament hosted across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Concacaf:
United States, Canada, Mexico.
Conmebol:
Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay, Paraguay, Colombia.
Oceania Football Confederation:
New Zealand.
Asia Football Confederation:
Japan, Iran, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Jordan, Australia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia.
Confederation Africaine de Football:
Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cape Verde, South Africa, Senegal.
UEFA:
England.
