Roberto Martinez to step down: How will Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo be impacted at World Cup 2026 by manager’s decision?

Portugal manager Roberto Martinez will leave his post after the World Cup regardless of how the team performs.

The Portuguese camp will be making final preparations ahead of their opening clash at this summer's tournament, with the nation set to face Congo DR on Wednesday.

SeleCao das Quinas are seen as one of the tournament's favourites, but some supporters fear that the quality of the squad will not be matched by the performance of Martinez in the dugout.

The 52-year-old struggled to get the best out of Belgium's golden generation, and Portugal's performance at Euro 2024 was underwhelming.

Journalist Alex Crook has revealed that the Spaniard is set to leave his current role as head coach as he has decided not to renew his contract beyond this summer's tournament.

Can Portugal win 2026 World Cup with Roberto Martinez?

Portugal will be expected to comfortably advance into the knockout stages of the World Cup regardless of the fact Martinez has decided to leave after the competition, especially as they are in a group with Congo DR, Colombia and Uzbekistan, with those three teams ranked 46th, 13th and 50th by FIFA in their global rankings.

SeleCao das Quinas' hopes of progressing into the latter stages of the competition may depend on the form of Cristiano Ronaldo, who is still the team's leading forward despite being 41.

The veteran is far beyond his best, and having every attack flow through him could be problematic, so Martinez may face a tough decision about whether to play his captain against the elite international opponents.

Martinez did lead the national team to Nations League triumph in 2025, beating Euro 2024 champions Spain 5-3 on penalties.

However, the competition is not nearly as prestigious as either the World Cup or the Euros, so it is difficult to use that victory to support the claim that Portugal can win this summer's tournament.

Martinez future: Should international failure be rewarded by Premier League job?

Martinez last coached at club level in 2016, and he will leave the Portuguese national team having been in post for three years.

Prior to being appointed to his current role, he was managing the Belgium squad from 2016 until 2022, but he oversaw a number of disappointments with the country's golden generation.

Belgium in fact failed to make it past the group stage at the 2022 World Cup, and they failed to make it past the quarter-finals of Euro 2016 and Euro 2020.

During his time in charge of Portugal, the Spaniard's side were beaten by France in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, and there are concerns about the team's performance levels heading into the 2026 World Cup.

While tournament football is notoriously unpredictable, meaning Martinez should not be held entirely responsible for the failings of his teams, it would be surprising if a Premier League club sought to hire the 52-year-old.