Preview:Armenia vs Portugal - prediction, team news, lineups

In what represents their first match since the tragic passing of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, Portugal begin their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign with a trip to the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in Yerevan where they will face Armenia on Saturday evening.

Roberto Martinez’s side and Yegishe Melikyan’s men are joined in Group F by Hungary and Republic of Ireland.

Match preview

Portugal are preparing for their first international fixture since winning an unprecedented second UEFA Nations League title in June, beating hosts Germany 2-1 in the semi-finals before edging past Euro 2024 champions Spain 5-3 on penalties following an entertaining 2-2 draw in the final.

Selecao das Quinas celebrated their third major trophy in nine years and their first under head coach Roberto Martinez, who boasts an impressive 70% win ratio across 30 matches (W21 D5 L4) since taking the reins in January 2023.

Ranked sixth in the world by FIFA, Portugal have lost just one of their last 10 internationals since losing to France on penalties in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, and their form in front of goal has also improved, netting two or more goals on seven occasions during this period.

Portugal will be considered as firm favourites to progress from Group F in World Cup qualifying; they are already assured of at least a playoff spot based on their Nations League ranking, but finishing at the summit of their group would seal automatic qualification for the 2026 tournament held in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Martinez will be keen to see his team make a strong start to qualifying, considering that Portugal have required a playoff to reach three of the last four World Cups. They did win all 10 qualifiers for Euro 2024, though, while they have never lost against Saturday’s opponents Armenia (W4 D2), which bodes well ahead of their matchday one fixture.

Armenia began the year with Dutchman John van 't Schip as head coach, but after he failed to win any of his four matches in charge (D1 L3), the decision was made to sack the 61-year-old in August after less than six months at the helm.

Yegishe Melikyan, who was capped 29 times by Armenia between 2002 and 2007, has ended his four-year association as FC Pyunik boss to replace Van 't Schip as national team manager, and he is tasked with turning the fortunes around of a nation that have slipped to 105th in the FIFA World Rankings.

Armenia have won only two of their last 10 internationals across all competitions (D2 L6) and they began 2025 in disappointing fashion, as they suffered a heavy 9-1 aggregate defeat to Georgia in the UEFA Nations League promotion/relegation playoffs, including a 6-1 away loss in March.

Havakakan were most recently in action in June when they failed to win international friendlies against Kosovo (5-2) and Montenegro (2-2), but the fact that they have scored five goals across their last three fixtures will provide Melikyan with a glimmer of optimism in his quest to steer his new side back on track.

Armenia have never qualified for a major international tournament as an independent nation and they will enter Saturday’s contest with Portugal as major underdogs, but they did at least put up an admirable fight when they lost 3-2 on home soil in their last encounter with the European giants in Euro 2016 qualifying.

Armenia form (all competitions):

L W L L L D

Portugal form (all competitions):

W D L W W W

Team News

Uncapped Armenia midfielder Narek Grigoryan has been left out of Melikyan’s 25-man squad due to injury, and Norberto Briasco has withdrawn due to a family issue, but Lucas Zelarayan and Borussia Monchengladbach’s Grant-Leon Ranos have both returned to the senior setup.

It remains to be seen how Melikyan will line up his team, but he is likely to call upon Legia Warsaw’s Vahan Bichakhchyan to provide a creative spark in midfield, while 60-cap Slovan Bratislava striker Tigran Barseghyan will be hoping to net his 10th goal for the national team.

As for Portugal, AC Milan forward Rafael Leao is ruled out with a calf injury, while Manchester United full-back Diogo Dalot has been forced to withdraw from the national tam squad after picking up a muscle problem.

Joao Cancelo and Joao Neves are therefore set to battle for a start at right-back, while Francisco Conceicao and Pedro Neto could both link up in the final third with 40-year-old Ronaldo, who has scored five goals in just four games against Armenia, including a hat-trick in the aforementioned 3-2 win in 2015.

Ruben Neves and Vitinha are set to compete for a start in the deep-lying midfield role; the former will honour his close friend Jota by wearing his No.21 shirt number - a decision made by Jota’s family according to Martinez.

Armenia possible starting lineup:

Cancarevic; Hovhannisyan, Mkrtchyan, Arutyunyan, Muradyan, Tiknizyan; Iwu, Dashyan; Bichakhchyan, Zelarayan; Barseghyan

Portugal possible starting lineup:

Costa; Cancelo, Dias, A. Silva, Mendes; Fernandes, R. Neves, Bernardo; Conceicao, Ronaldo, Neto

We say: Armenia 0-3 Portugal

It is difficult to back against Portugal coming away with maximum points from their opening group fixture. It remains to be seen whether Martinez will name what he believes to be his strongest lineup, but even if he is to leave out a few star names, Portugal should have too much quality for an Armenia outfit who have looked vulnerable at the back for some time.

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