The Spaniard aims to cement his legacy by ending a cycle of near-misses, steering a star-studded squad toward global glory.
Roberto Martínez is expected to leave his role as Portugal head coach after the 2026 World Cup. Martínez took charge in 2023 after replacing Fernando Santos following Portugal’s exit from the 2022 World Cup.
He led Portugal through an unbeaten Euro 2024 qualifying campaign and oversaw a record 9–0 win against Luxembourg. Portugal also won the 2025 Nations League, beating Spain on penalties in the final.
Despite those results, major tournament success has remained out of reach. Portugal were eliminated by France in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 after a penalty shootout.
His contract expires after the World Cup and is not expected to be renewed.
Martínez has played down speculation about his future, insisting the focus remains on the tournament.
“It’s not news. We’ve talked about this many times in Portugal,” Martínez said.“Maybe it’s new elsewhere, but in Portugal we’ve discussed it a lot already. The focus remains continuing the work we’ve done over the last three and a half years.”
A talented squad still searching for success
Portugal possess one of the strongest squads in international football. Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Vitinha and João Neves have been central to Martínez’s plans, giving Portugal quality and depth.
Cristiano Ronaldo has remained an important figure during Martínez’s tenure. His experience and leadership have continued to influence the national team setup.
Portugal are still searching for another major international trophy after winning Euro 2016 and the inaugural Nations League in 2019.
Mourinho no longer in the frame
José Mourinho was briefly linked with the Portugal job when questions first emerged over Martínez’s future.
The former Chelsea, Inter Milan and Manchester United manager had previously been viewed as a potential candidate for the national team role due to his success at club level.
Any prospect of Mourinho taking charge ended when he returned to Real Madrid.
Portugal begin their World Cup campaign against DR Congo tonight. Martínez’s side enter the tournament among the favourites to progress from Group K, with the competition set to be his final opportunity to lead the national team to World Cup success.
