Portugal to host Wales at Estádio José Alvalade in UEFA Nations League group stage on September 24
Portugal and Wales will meet in a UEFA Nations League 2026-27 group stage fixture at the Estádio José Alvalade on September 24, with Portugal entering the game as the tournament's defending champions.
Portugal reached the FIFA World Cup 2026 but were eliminated by Spain in the round of 16, and the side's tournament performances were described as not up to the mark; the national team have appointed Jorge Jesus as their new manager and face scrutiny over attacking and midfield approaches. Cristiano Ronaldo has been called up to the squad and is noted in the article as being 41 and approaching a record of 1000 goals in his career. The Portugal camp posted: Em casa, com o foco no trabalho. 🦾Home, with the focus on work. 🦾 pic.twitter.com/bzspXHfdHw
Wales arrive under Craig Bellamy and will aim to challenge for the Nations League title despite never having won the competition; the article states their recent friendly results have not been the best and that Wales must control the game from the start to limit Portugal's chances. The piece says Wales will need to put in a lot of hard work from the very first fixture, and it adds: The 34-year-old is going to be one of the main men in the squad for the Wales national football team. He can be deployed both as an attacking midfielder and as a striker. His ability to switch multiple positions can be a big addition for the visitors.
Portugal's squad listed in the article is: Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa, Rui Silva, Samuel Soares; Defenders: Gonçalo Inácio, João Cancelo, Diogo Dalot, Nuno Tavares, Nuno Mendes, Renato Veiga, Rúben Dias, Tomás Araújo; Midfielders: Bruno Fernandes, João Palhinha, João Neves, Rúben Neves, Vitinha, Bernardo Silva; Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Fábio Silva, Francisco Trincão, Francisco Conceição, Gonçalo Ramos, João Félix, Pedro Neto, Rafael Leão.
Wales' squad listed in the article is: Goalkeepers: Karl Darlow, Danny Ward, Tom King; Defenders: Neco Williams, Jay Dasilva, Jayden Lienou, Ben Davies, Rhys Norrington-Davies, Chris Mepham, Ben Cabango, Connor Roberts; Midfielders: Ethan Ampadu, Josh Sheehan, Jordan James, Joel Colwill, Nathan Broadhead, Cameron Congreve; Forwards: Liam Cullen, Harry Wilson, Cian Ashford, Brennan Johnson, Sorba Thomas, Lewis Koumas, Kieffer Moore, Mark Harris, Daniel James, David Brooks, Wes Burns.
The article states all selected players for both Portugal and Wales are fit and ready for action and provides predicted lineups: Costa (GK); Cancelo, Dias, Veiga, Mendes; Joao Neves, Vitinha; Neto, Fernandes, Felix; Ronaldo for Portugal, and Darlow (GK); Williams, Cabango, Norrington-Davies, Dasilva; Ampadu, James; Johnson, Thomas, Broadhead; Moore for Wales. It also notes that with superior squad quality and the home advantage Portugal are given a slight edge, while Wales are not expected to back down easily; the piece adds that the Jorge Jesus-led side might cruise to a victory.
Broadcast information in the article lists: India: Sony Sports Network, SonyLIV; UK: Prime Video UK, S4C; Portugal: RÁDIO E TELEVISÃO DE PORTUGAL, Sport TV Portugal; USA: FOX Sports, FuboTV, ViX. The Estádio José Alvalade will host the match on September 24, and Sony Sports Network and SonyLIV are cited as available platforms to view the matches live.