What to Expect from Portugal? The Favorites for the 2030 World Cup (Photos)

Just over a week after Spain clinched their second World Cup title, defeating Argentina 1-0 in the 2026 final, attention is already shifting to the future. With the 2026 World Cup, hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, now concluded, the question arises of how to fill the void until the next edition in four years' time. Portugal, Spain, and Morocco are set to co-host the 2030 World Cup.

To anticipate what lies ahead, a Power Ranking focused on the 2030 World Cup has been compiled. This exercise, similar to those conducted before and during the last tournament, aims to analyze national teams from the perspective of title contenders and potential dark horses, with an eye on the upcoming qualification cycle.

A panel of 19 journalists from around the world was invited to rank teams from 1 to 15, where the top spot signifies the main favorite to lift the trophy and 15th represents a team capable of causing an upset. Individual votes were then compiled to create the final ranking presented by ESPN. The Portuguese national team, now under the management of Jorge Jesus, features in the top 15, with ESPN highlighting Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup farewell. "Finally, the national team is moving past the Ronaldo era," the report states.