Our 26 are chosen: Here's A BOLA's Squad for the World Cup

Roberto Martínez is set to announce Portugal's 26-man squad (plus one, Diogo Jota) for the 2026 World Cup finals this Tuesday at 1 PM, from the Cidade do Futebol in Oeiras. Few surprises are anticipated. In preparation for the tournament, the 'Seleção das Quinas' will play two friendlies: on June 6th against Chile at the Estádio Nacional (Oeiras), and on June 10th facing Nigeria at the Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa (Leiria).

As has been tradition for major international competitions, A BOLA's editorial team stepped into the national coach's shoes and selected our own 26-man squad. A challenging task, of course, much like Roberto Martínez's own. One thing is certain: we, A BOLA, just like Roberto Martínez, had to leave out some star players.

Twelve players received unanimous selection from A BOLA's journalists: Diogo Costa, Rui Silva, João Cancelo, Nuno Mendes, Rúben Dias, Gonçalo Inácio, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, João Neves, Vitinha, Francisco Trincão, and Rafael Leão. Gonçalo Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo each missed one vote, while Matheus Nunes and João Félix were not chosen by two of our editors.

The most intense competition for a spot in our 26-man squad was among Paulinho, Mateus Fernandes, Ricardo Horta, Pedro Gonçalves, Rodrigo Mora, Nélson Semedo, and António Silva. We ultimately selected the first two, but it was a very close call.

Check out A BOLA's 26 'call-ups' for the 2026 World Cup in the gallery below: