Portugal v Wales: Ronaldo Leads New Era in Nations League
The trophy sits in their cabinet, twice over, and Portugal have no intention of giving it up. On Thursday night in Lisbon, the defending UEFA Nations League champions begin another campaign, with Wales the first visitors to test Jorge Jesus’s new regime.
A new face on the touchline, a familiar one up front
The summer brought a hard reset. Roberto Martinez departed after the 2026 World Cup, his spell ending with a jolt: a 1-0 defeat to eventual champions Spain in the last 16, Portugal’s first loss since November 2025. On July 10, Jorge Jesus walked into the national job and straight into the pressure of guarding a legacy.
This is not just any legacy. Portugal were the first to lift the Nations League, edging Netherlands 1-0 in the 2018-19 final, then reclaiming the crown in 2024-25 with a penalty-shootout victory over Spain. Two titles, a clear benchmark. League A, Group 4 now offers Wales, Denmark and Norway as the route back to the latter stages.
And at the heart of it all, still, stands Cristiano Ronaldo.
Named in Jesus’s first squad, the 41-year-old is expected to start and chase yet more history, already sitting on 146 international goals. His future with Portugal looked close to closure after that World Cup exit to Spain. It isn’t. Not yet.
Jesus is not expected to spring major surprises. Diogo Costa should anchor the side from goal. Ahead of him, a back four of Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Antonio Silva or another central option such as Joao Veiga, and Nuno Mendes offers balance and experience.
In midfield, Vitinha, Joao Neves and Bruno Fernandes give Portugal a blend of control, bite and creativity. Up front, Pedro Neto and Joao Felix are likely to work off Ronaldo, supplying width, movement and the chaos that can unpick a deep defence.
The schedule is unforgiving. After Wales, Portugal head to Norway to close out the month, then face Denmark away and Norway at home in October. A strong start matters.
Wales back among the elite – but stretched
For Wales, the backdrop is very different. The Dragons are climbing again after a painful setback: failure to reach the 2026 World Cup, their run ending with a playoff semi-final defeat to Bosnia-Herzegovina in March.
Craig Bellamy has tried to steady the mood with a new cycle of friendlies. A draw with Northern Ireland, another against Ghana, then a 2-1 loss to Romania. Mixed signs, but a clear attempt to refresh and harden the squad for life back in League A.
They earned that promotion from League B in 2024-25 and arrive with a solid Nations League record: 10 wins, five draws and seven defeats from 22 games. Respectable numbers, but now the opposition sharpens.
The fixture list is brutal. After Portugal, Wales travel to Denmark on September 27, host Norway on October 1 and then welcome Denmark on October 4. Survival at this level will be earned the hard way.
And they must do it with a patched-up squad.
Wales have been hit by a triple blow, with Harry Wilson, Nathan Broadhead and Karl Darlow all withdrawing through injury. In response, Bellamy has called in Leicester City goalkeeper David Cornell, Huddersfield Town forward Joe Taylor and Reading midfielder Charlie Savage.
They join a group already missing Joe Rodon, Dylan Lawlor, Rubin Colwill and Isaak Davies. Important options, gone. Depth, tested.
Even so, the front line carries threat. Daniel James, David Brooks and Brennan Johnson are all expected to start in advanced roles. James may even operate through the middle, using his pace to stretch Portugal’s back line, with Brooks and Johnson working the spaces around him.
Behind them, Ethan Ampadu and Jordan James should anchor midfield, while a back four of Neco Williams, Ben Cabango, Rhys Norrington-Davies and Jay Dasilva will try to protect Danny Ward in goal.
History, and the odds, lean one way
The fixture has been rare over the decades. Only four meetings, and just one Welsh win – a friendly back in May 1951. The only competitive clash came on the biggest of stages: Euro 2016, a semi-final in Lyon, settled 2-0 by goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani as Portugal marched to the title.
Form lines also tilt towards the holders. Portugal’s recent run across all competitions reads WDWDWL, that solitary defeat coming against Spain in Qatar. Wales’s sequence – WWLDDL – tells of a side in transition, still searching for rhythm.
On paper, Portugal’s XI drips with quality. Diogo Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Veiga, Mendes; Vitinha, Joao Neves; Neto, Fernandes, Felix; Ronaldo. Experience, youth, depth in almost every department.
Wales’s likely response: Ward; Neco Williams, Cabango, Norrington-Davies, Dasilva; Ampadu, Jordan James; Brooks, Thomas, Johnson; Daniel James. Organised, energetic, but shorn of several key names.
The gap is obvious. So is the danger of underestimating a side with nothing to lose.
Prediction? With Wales depleted and Portugal stacked, the smart call is a home win. A 3-1 scoreline feels about right: enough to underline Portugal’s authority, but with room for a Welsh punch of their own.
For Jesus, though, the night is about more than a scoreline. It is the first real glimpse of his Portugal, with Ronaldo still at the centre of it. How long that remains true could shape not just this Nations League campaign, but the next chapter of Portuguese football.
