The FIFA World Cup has two international association football competitions, one contested by the men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The men's championship has been organized every four years since the first tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946, due to World War II, and the women's started in 1991.

The tournament consists of two parts, the qualification phase and the final phase (officially called the World Cup Finals). The qualification phase, which currently take place over the three years preceding the Finals, is used to determine which teams qualify for the Finals. The current format of the finals involves 48 teams competing for the title, at venues within the host nation/nations) over a period of about a month. The World Cup final is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, with an estimated 715.1 million people watching the 2006 tournament final.

Portugal have qualified for the final phase of the FIFA World Cup on nine occasions: in 1966, 1986, 2002 and every final phase held since. Their best performance, as of 2026, is a third place finish in 1966; they also finished fourth in 2006. Portugal is set to co-host the 2030 edition having been granted host status alongside Morocco and Spain.

FIFA World Cup record YearRoundPositionPldWDLGFGA 1930Did not enter 1934Did not qualify 1938 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966Third place3rd6501178 1970Did not qualify 1974 1978 1982 1986Group stage17th310224 1990Did not qualify 1994 1998 2002Group stage21st310264 2006Fourth place4th741275 2010Round of 1611th412171 2014Group stage18th311147 2018Round of 1613th412166 2022Quarter-finals8th5302126 2026Round of 16 13th 5 2 2 1 8 3 2030Qualified as co-hosts 2034To be determinedTotal9/233rd40198136944 Note: Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

Portugal's World Cup recordFirst Match 3–1 (13 July 1966; Manchester, England)Biggest Win 7–0 (21 June 2010; Cape Town, South Africa)Biggest Defeat 4–0 (16 June 2014; Salvador, Brazil)Best ResultThird place in 1966Worst ResultGroup stage in 1986, 2002 and 2014

By match YearRoundOpponentScorePortugal scorers 1966Group 33–1José Augusto (2), Torres3–0Vustov (o.g.), Eusébio, Torres3–1Simões, Eusébio (2)Quarter-final 5–3Eusébio (4), José AugustoSemi-final1–2Eusébio Match for third place 2–1Eusébio, Torres 1986Group F 1–0Carlos Manuel0–11–3Diamantino 2002Group D2–3Beto, Agoos (o.g.)4–0Pauleta (3), Rui Costa0–1 2006Group D 1–0Pauleta2–0Deco, Ronaldo2–1Maniche, SimãoRound of 161–0ManicheQuarter-final0–0 Semi-final0–1Match for third place1–3Nuno Gomes 2010Group G 0–07–0Meireles, Simão, Almeida, Tiago (2), Liédson, Ronaldo 0–0Round of 160–1 2014Group G0–42–2Nani, Varela2–1Boye (o.g.), Ronaldo 2018Group B 3–3Ronaldo (3)1–0Ronaldo1–1QuaresmaRound of 161–2Pepe 2022Group H3–2Ronaldo, Félix, Leão2–0Fernandes (2)1–2HortaRound of 166–1Ramos (3), Pepe, Guerreiro, LeãoQuarter-final 0–1 2026Group K1–1J. Neves5–0Ronaldo (2), Mendes, Nematov (o.g.), Leão0–0 Round of 32 2–1 Ronaldo, Ramos Round of 16 0–1 2030TBATBAv

Portugal in Qatar 2022

Group stage

Knockout stage

Round of 16

Quarter-finals

Portugal in North America 2026

Group stage

Knockout stage

Round of 32

Round of 16

Most appearances

RankPlayerMatchesWorld Cups1Cristiano Ronaldo272006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 20262Bernardo Silva132018, 2022 and 20263Pepe122010, 2014, 2018 and 20224Simão112006 and 2010Bruno Fernandes112018, 2022 and 20266Luís Figo102002 and 2006Ricardo Carvalho102006 and 2010William Carvalho102014, 2018 and 2022Diogo Costa102022 and 2026Rafael Leão102022 and 2026

Goalscorers

Eusebio's nine goals at the 1966 FIFA World Cup made him that tournament's top goalscorer, which also won him the Bronze Ball.

Player Goals 1966 1986 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 2026 11 1 1 1 4 1 3 9 9 4 3 1 4 3 1 3 3 3 3 3 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 2 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 Total 69 17 2 6 7 7 4 6 12 8

Own goals scored for opponents Jorge Costa (scored for United States in 2002) Petit (scored for Germany in 2006)

See also Portugal at the FIFA Confederations Cup Portugal at the UEFA European Championship Portugal in the UEFA Nations League

References

Reports

External links Portugal at FIFA World Cup Finals Statistics