With only a few days left until the start of the 2026 World Cup, hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico, Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez shared his plans and thoughts ahead of the upcoming matches. At an official press conference in Oeiras, near Lisbon, the experienced Spanish tactician touched upon his group stage opponents.
Martinez preferred not to comment on Colombia, considered one of the group's toughest opponents, for now. The coach emphasized that his focus is currently on his initial opponents: the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Uzbekistan national team, which is making its World Cup debut.
“We have the utmost respect for the matches against DR Congo and Uzbekistan. Only after we finish these two important games will we start thinking about the tactics for our very serious opponent in the third round,” said Martinez.
While praising the individual skills of the DR Congo players in one-on-one duels, the coach specifically highlighted the inner strength of teams appearing at the World Cup for the first time, including Uzbekistan:
“There is a factor in teams that have qualified for the World Cup for the first time that cannot be measured or controlled. It is the grand dream and boundless passion in the players' hearts. They are desperate to defend their country's honor and show their full strength in this prestigious tournament.”
At the end of the interview, Roberto Martinez noted that in modern football, FIFA rankings or the status of 'favorite' on paper play no role. In his opinion, every match at the World Cup is a new history, and the main task for the team is to start the tournament with a win.
As a reminder, the Portugal national team will begin its Group K campaign on June 17 in Houston against DR Congo. After that, they will face our compatriots, the Uzbekistan national team, in the second round. The final match of the group stage will take place on June 28 in Miami against Colombia.
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