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

Renato Veiga performed down the notion that Portugal had been favourites heading into the World Cup, however he insisted that Roberto Martinez’s facet had been contenders in North America. 

Portugal start their Group Okay marketing campaign on June 17 towards DR Congo, with Uzbekistan and Colombia their different opponents within the first part of the event. 

The Selecao have another pre-tournament pleasant, towards Nigeria on Wednesday, as they appear to construct on their 2-1 victory over Chile, a match that noticed Rafael Leao despatched off. 

Portugal have by no means gained the World Cup, with their greatest end being third on the 1966 version in England, whereas they had been dumped out within the quarter-finals in Qatar 4 years in the past.

Martinez’s facet have been assigned a 7% probability of successful the World Cup by the Opta supercomputer, which ranks because the fifth-highest in its pre-tournament simulations. 

And Veiga, who was part of the Portugal facet who gained the Nations League final yr, believes his group have each probability of competing within the latter phases. 

“There is not any denying Portugal’s high quality,” the Villarreal centre-back stated on Monday. “We’re contenders, not favourites. For now, we’re simply contenders.”

Portugal have named a powerful 26-man squad for the World Cup, with Cristiano Ronaldo captaining his nation in what will likely be his sixth look on the finals. 

Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes additionally comes into the event off the again of a nice particular person marketing campaign within the Premier League. He broke the single-season document for assists within the competitors 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 successful mentality inside the squad will likely be key on the World Cup. 

“I feel our locker room is our biggest asset,” Veiga added. “The ambiance is excellent, with nice folks, and it helps us categorical our greatest on the sector.

“Whoever performs will definitely give his greatest. After all, there’s all the time competitors inside the group, however the actual competitors is on the market, with our opponents.”