It was quite a contrasting week that Portugal experienced for its last international gathering of the year 2025.
Roberto Martinez’s training had to wait until his final match of this qualifying campaign to validate his ticket for the 2026 World Cup.
A historic victory against Armenia with a stunning score (9-1) propelled Portugal to America, including a hat-trick from young Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Joao Neves. But the Portuguese approached this match without their superstar and leader Cristiano Ronaldo.
A few days earlier, CR7 had shown a dark side of his personality by receiving the first red card of his international career after a knee-jerk gesture in Ireland, resulting in a defeat (0-2).
Portugal loses points
Direct consequence of this mixed internship: Portugal lost a place in the FIFA rankings and no longer appears in the top 5 of the best nations in the world.
With 1760.38 points, the Portuguese selection is topped by Brazil, which totals 1762.83 points and gains two places. A ranking still led by Spain, ahead of Argentina, France and England.
The updated FIFA rankings
1. Spain – 1883.80 points
2. Argentina – 1873.32 points
3. France – 1870.00 points
4. England – 1834.12 points
5. Brazil – 1762.83 points (+2)
6. Portugal – 1760.38 points (-1)
7. Netherlands – 1756.27 points (-1)
8. Belgium – 1730.02 points
9. Germany – 1724.15 points (+1)
10. Croatia – 1716.88 points (+1)
