Portugal ‘contenders, not favourites’ for World Cup glory, says Veiga

Renato Veiga played down the notion that Portugal were favourites heading into the World Cup, but he insisted that Roberto Martinez’s side were contenders in North America. 

Portugal begin their Group K campaign on June 17 against DR Congo, with Uzbekistan and Colombia their other opponents in the first phase of the tournament. 

The Selecao have one more pre-tournament friendly, against Nigeria on Wednesday, as they look to build on their 2-1 victory over Chile, a match that saw Rafael Leao sent off. 

Portugal have never won the World Cup, with their best finish being third at the 1966 edition in England, while they were dumped out in the quarter-finals in Qatar four years ago.

Martinez’s side have been assigned a 7% chance of winning the World Cup by the Opta supercomputer, which ranks as the fifth-highest in its pre-tournament simulations. 

And Veiga, who was a part of the Portugal side who won the Nations League last year, believes his team have every chance of competing in the latter stages. 

“There’s no denying Portugal’s quality,” the Villarreal centre-back said on Monday. “We are contenders, not favourites. For now, we are just contenders.”

Portugal have named a strong 26-man squad for the World Cup, with Cristiano Ronaldo captaining his nation in what will be his sixth appearance at the finals. 

Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes also comes into the tournament off the back of a fine individual campaign in the Premier League. He broke the single-season record for assists in the competition with 21 in 2025-26. 

Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Vitinha and Goncalo Ramos all helped Paris Saint-Germain retain their Ligue 1 and Champions League crowns, and Veiga believes that winning mentality within the squad will be key at the World Cup. 

“I think our locker room is our greatest asset,” Veiga added. “The atmosphere is very good, with great people, and it helps us express our best on the field.

“Whoever plays will certainly give his best. Of course, there’s always competition within the group, but the real competition is out there, with our opponents.”