Portugal beats 9-1 to advance to the 2026 World Cup! 41-year-old Ronaldo will enter his sixth campaign

On November 16, good news came from the World Cup European Qualifiers. The Portuguese team faced a crucial matchup with Armenia at home, and finally defeated their opponent 9-1.

This victory allowed the Portuguese team to rank first in Group F and successfully lock in the qualification for the 2026 US-Canada-Mexico World Cup.

This is the Portuguese team's second appearance in the World Cup finals after four years. They are also the fourth team in Europe and the 31st team in the world to win World Cup tickets.

With Portugal's promotion, the list of the 31 qualified teams for the 2026 World Cup is officially clear. Powerful teams from six continents have gathered and are waiting for the opening of the tournament.

Full list of 31 qualifying teams, with representatives from each of the six continents

The European region has currently confirmed 4 qualifying teams. In addition to newly qualified Portugal, there are also England, France and Croatia. These four teams are all traditional strong teams in the World Cup.

A total of 6 teams in the South American division have advanced. Argentina and Brazil, as the leaders of South American football, have successfully qualified. Ecuador, Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay also obtained tickets with their stable performance in the qualifiers.

The Asian region has obtained 8 qualifying places this time. Japan, Iran, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Australia, Qatar and Saudi Arabia successfully broke through and occupied important seats in the World Cup.

The African region contributed 9 qualifying teams, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Cape Verde, South Africa, Senegal and Cote d'Ivoire, which will show the vitality of African football in the North American continent.

In Central and North America and the Caribbean, the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as hosts, directly qualify for the competition without participating in the fierce competition in the qualifiers.

In the Oceania division, New Zealand stands out and will represent Oceania football on the World Cup stage.

Cristiano Ronaldo's five World Cup journeys, each with unforgettable moments

Portugal's promotion has also made fans focus on the core of the team, Ronaldo. Next summer, the legendary star will usher in the sixth World Cup trip of his career.

Back in the summer of 2006, Cristiano Ronaldo, who was still known as "Little Ronaldinho" at the time, made his debut in the World Cup accompanied by his big brother Figo. He scored his first World Cup goal against Iran, becoming the youngest goalscorer in the World Cup finals at the age of 21 years and 132 days. In that tournament, the Portuguese team made it all the way to the semi-finals, tying the team's best record in history, but ultimately lost to France in the semi-finals, leaving a small regret.

In the 2010 World Cup, Ronaldo led Portugal as captain for the first time. However, the team's performance failed to meet expectations, with only 1 win and 2 draws in the group stage, barely qualifying from the group. In the 1/8 finals, they encountered the Spanish team at its peak, and were eventually eliminated.

In the 2014 World Cup, Ronaldo was troubled by a knee injury, but he still insisted on playing through the injury. However, the team's overall performance was still sluggish. They failed to win against Germany and the United States in the first two rounds of the group stage. In the end, they were stopped in the group stage due to a goal difference disadvantage and failed to advance to the knockout rounds.

In 2018, the 33-year-old Ronaldo has become the absolute core of the team. In the highlight match against Spain in the first round of the group stage, he scored three goals and scored a hat-trick, single-handedly helping the team draw the opponent, creating a classic game in the history of the World Cup. Unfortunately, in the 1/8 finals, Portugal lost 1-2 to Uruguay and once again missed the chance to go further.

At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, 37-year-old Ronaldo led Portugal for the fifth time. He scored a goal against Ghana, becoming the first player in World Cup history to score in five consecutive tournaments, setting a new record. However, in the quarter-finals, Portugal lost 0-1 to the North African powerhouse Morocco. Ronaldo failed to break his curse of zero goals in the knockout stages of the World Cup and once again ended the journey with regrets.

The 41-year-old finale, hitting the historical record of the World Cup

The 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico will officially kick off in June next year. The event will be held in 16 cities in the North American continent, starting on June 11 and lasting until July 19.

By then, Ronaldo will be 41 years old. He has made it clear before that the 2026 World Cup will be his last World Cup, and this final game will carry his ultimate dream.

If successfully participating, Ronaldo will set a new record for the most participations by a single player in the history of the World Cup, from the current five to six, becoming a legendary benchmark in the World Cup.

In the five World Cups, Ronaldo scored 7 goals and 2 assists, leading the team to reach the top eight or above twice and the semi-finals once. Now, this ageless legend will once again challenge for the Hercules Cup and draw a successful conclusion to his World Cup career.