Portugal’s confirmed lineup against Uzbekistan revealed Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Felix will be starting but Bernardo Silva won’t. Instead, the prolific midfielder will watch the game at Houston Stadium (NRG Stadium) from the substitutes’ bench.
Silva will be a substitute as Portugal take on Uzbekistan on matchday 2 of the 2026 World Cup. In an absolute must-win game for the Lusos, Roberto Martinez decided to make two changes to the starting XI, compared to the disappointing 1-1 draw against DR Congo.
Bernardo Silva has been taken out of the starting XI, making room for Joao Felix instead. The 31-year-old midfielder will give way to the 26-year-old winger, who will bring much-needed speed and dynamism to Portugal‘s attack, which looked powerless in its 2026 World Cup debut.
Leaving Silva out of the starting lineup is purely a tactical decision by the coaching staff. Silva is fit to play and will be available to enter the game if Martinez feels his presence is required.
Joao Felix is replacing Bernardo Silva.
Portugal’s starting XI
In addition to Felix’s feature, Ruben Dias is back on the lineup for Portugal after missing the 2026 World Cup debut due to lingering discomfort. Back at 100%, the team’s best center back is back in action, joining Renato Veiga in the middle of the defense. With Dias’ return, Portugal may have put together their best possible XI to face Uzbekistan.
Diogo Costa will be the starting goalkeeper; Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Renato Veiga, Nuno Mendes; Vitinha, Joao Neves, Bruno Fernandes; Joao Felix, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pedro Neto.
Notable absences
Due to Portugal’s depth and FIFA rules only allowing 11 players to take the pitch, Martinez always had some tough decisions to make. Thus, the starting lineup to face Uzbekistan feature several household names that are conspicuous by their absence. That’s not taking into account players like Pepe, who retired and won’t be playing at the 2026 World Cup.
Among the active players in the 26-man squad, the team set to take on Uzbekistan will be without Rafael Leao, who isn’t starting, as well as the aforementioned Bernardo Silva, Goncalo Guedes, Goncalo Ramos, and Francisco Conceicao.
