Roberto Martínez reportedly to leave Portugal bench after the World Cup
Roberto Martínez will reportedly leave his position as head coach of the Portuguese national football team after the 2026 World Cup, regardless of the result Portugal achieve at the tournament in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico. According to British outlet talkSPORT, the Spanish coach has decided not to extend the contract that expires at the end of July, that is, after the end of the competition. This is information that, at the time the media reports were published, had not been officially confirmed by the Portuguese Football Federation, so Martínez's departure should for now be viewed as a media-reported development, but not as a formally announced outcome. If the claims are confirmed, it would end a mandate that began on January 9, 2023, after Fernando Santos left the head coach position. In such circumstances, Portugal enter the World Cup with a head coach who, according to available information, has already made a decision about his own future after the tournament.
The contract runs until the end of the world cycle
Martínez took over Portugal at the beginning of 2023, shortly after the national team were eliminated by Morocco in the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Qatar. FIFA then announced that Portugal had appointed the former Belgium head coach as Fernando Santos's successor, while Portuguese media and international agencies reported that the contract had been signed until 2026. That meant his mandate was linked from the start to two major objectives: UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany and the 2026 World Cup. According to current media reports, Martínez does not intend to extend that agreement, even though Portugal arrive at the tournament as one of Europe's highest-quality national teams. Such a development would not necessarily mean a sudden break in cooperation, but rather the end of a contractual cycle that had in any case been set to run until the conclusion of the biggest competition.
For the Portuguese Football Federation, a potential separation opens a sensitive question of continuity. Under Martínez, the national team changed part of its tactical profile, expanded its player base and maintained high ambitions in terms of results. If the departure is confirmed, the federation would have to decide whether to look for a new head coach immediately after the end of the tournament or wait for the World Cup outcome and an assessment of the overall cycle. In such situations, the result at the tournament usually has a major influence on the tone of the separation, even when the decision to leave was made earlier. In Portugal's case, additional weight is added by the fact that this is a generation regarded as one of the deepest and most expensive in international football.
Portugal open Group K against DR Congo
According to FIFA's official schedule, Portugal's first appearance at the 2026 World Cup is on June 17 against DR Congo at the stadium in Houston. Uzbekistan and Colombia are also in Group K, and the Portuguese national team play their second match on June 23 against Uzbekistan, also in Houston, while the duel with Colombia is scheduled for June 27 in Miami. In its preview of Group K, FIFA highlighted that Portugal enter the tournament with the ambition of winning their first world title, while Cristiano Ronaldo is appearing at his sixth World Cup. Such a framework further increases the pressure on the team, but also the expectations placed on the head coach who has already won one major trophy with Portugal. The group is not easy because Colombia have experience and technical quality, DR Congo are returning to the world stage, and Uzbekistan are appearing at the final tournament for the first time.
Portugal secured qualification for the World Cup in November 2025 with a convincing 9:1 victory over Armenia. FIFA then announced that Roberto Martínez's team had finished top of qualifying Group F and earned Portugal's ninth appearance at World Cups, and their seventh in a row. That victory was also important because of the circumstances in which it was achieved, as Cristiano Ronaldo did not play due to suspension. In his absence, Bruno Fernandes and João Neves stood out, while the emphatic win confirmed the squad depth that Martínez often emphasizes as one of his national team's key advantages. Portugal therefore do not enter the tournament only as a team dependent on one player, but as a side with several key figures in different lines of the team.
A team with Ronaldo, Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and Vitinha
When announcing the Portuguese squad for the World Cup, FIFA highlighted that Cristiano Ronaldo, the record holder for appearances and goals for the national team, is going to his sixth World Cup. The squad also includes Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Rúben Dias, Vitinha, João Neves, Nuno Mendes and other players who regularly feature in Europe's strongest competitions. Such a squad gives Portugal a combination of experience, technical quality and competitive maturity. Ronaldo still carries symbolic and goalscoring weight, but the creativity of Bruno Fernandes, the possession control brought by Vitinha and Bernardo Silva, and the defensive stability led by players such as Rúben Dias and Nuno Mendes are equally important for the team's balance. It is precisely because of that depth that Portugal are mentioned in many previews among the national teams that could go far.
During his mandate, Martínez tried to combine the older core with players who established themselves after Euro 2024 and through club performances in Europe. According to reports by UEFA and the FPF, under his leadership Portugal completed a perfect qualifying cycle for Euro 2024, with ten wins in ten matches. At the tournament itself, the national team reached the quarter-finals, where, after a 0:0 draw with France, they were eliminated on penalties. That result was not a complete failure, but it left the impression that a team with such quality must aim for more than a quarter-final. A year later, by winning the UEFA Nations League, Martínez gained an important argument that the process was nevertheless producing results and that Portugal could win even in matches at the highest level.
The Nations League trophy strengthened the head coach's status
UEFA announced that on June 8, 2025, in Munich, Portugal won the Nations League after defeating Spain in a penalty shootout, following 2:2 in regular time and extra time. With that triumph, Portugal became the first national team with two titles in that competition, after also winning the inaugural edition in 2019. For Martínez, it was his first trophy on the Portugal bench and an important confirmation of his work after the criticism that followed the elimination from Euro 2024. It is particularly significant that Portugal won the title against Spain, the reigning European champions, in a match of high intensity and psychological pressure. Among the Portuguese public, that trophy temporarily calmed debates about whether the Spanish specialist could get the maximum out of an exceptionally talented generation.
Despite that, the World Cup remains the measure by which the entire mandate will be judged. Portugal have never played in a World Cup final, and their best result remains third place from 1966. In the Cristiano Ronaldo era, the national team won Euro 2016 and two Nations League titles, but the world champion title has remained out of reach. For that reason, Martínez's possible departure after the tournament would carry different weight depending on how far the team goes. If Portugal reach the final stages, the separation could be interpreted as a completed cycle. If they are eliminated earlier, the media announcement of his departure could intensify the question of whether uncertainty around the head coach affected the atmosphere within and around the national team.
A return to club football remains a possible option
English media report that Martínez is open to a return to club football, including the Premier League. Such a possibility is not unexpected given his career before national-team football. In England, Martínez managed Swansea City, Wigan Athletic and Everton, and with Wigan he won the FA Cup in 2013. After that, from 2016 to 2022, he led Belgium, with whom he finished third at the 2018 World Cup. His profile therefore remains interesting to clubs looking for a coach with Premier League experience, but also with international experience at major tournaments. However, there is currently no official confirmation of where he could continue his career after Portugal.
For Martínez, a return to club football would also mean a change in the rhythm of work after ten years in national-team football. A club job brings daily work with players, influence on transfers and a different kind of pressure, while the national-team role requires long-term planning during shorter gatherings. His reputation in England is still tied to Wigan's sensational FA Cup victory, but also to a period at Everton that ended without a breakthrough to the very top of the Premier League. In national-team football, he gained the additional reputation of a coach who can lead generations with major stars, but he is also followed by questions about why Belgium did not win a major trophy during the time of their strongest generation. Portugal therefore offer him an opportunity to change the perception of his own career at the end of the current cycle.
The decision comes at a sensitive moment for Portugal
Media reports about the departure come just before Portugal's first appearance at the World Cup, creating an additional layer of story around the national team. The head coach and players will publicly try to keep their focus on the matches, but the question of the coaching staff's future is difficult to separate completely from the tournament environment. Portugal are experienced enough that such circumstances do not necessarily have to be destabilizing, especially because this is a team with players accustomed to the pressure of the biggest clubs and competitions. On the other hand, every knockout match at the World Cup carries enormous psychological weight, and any public uncertainty can become a topic if results do not move in the expected direction. In that sense, it will be crucial how Martínez and the team captains communicate ambitions and internal unity.
At the moment, the most important sporting fact is that Portugal have a roster capable of making a deep tournament run. FIFA's schedule gives the team the opportunity to build a position for progression in the first two matches against DR Congo and Uzbekistan, while the meeting with Colombia could decide first place in the group. Martínez's work will be assessed through his decisions on Cristiano Ronaldo's role, the arrangement of creative midfielders and the balance between possession and directness. If the announced departure is confirmed, the 2026 World Cup could also become the final exam of his Portuguese project. Until then, the official framework remains the same: Roberto Martínez leads Portugal at the tournament, and the question of continuing the cooperation after the end of the competition remains open until the Portuguese Football Federation or the head coach himself formally resolves it.
Sources:
- talkSPORT – report on Roberto Martínez's alleged decision not to extend his contract with Portugal after the World Cup (link)
- FIFA – official Portugal schedule in Group K and preview of the match against DR Congo at the 2026 World Cup (link)
- FIFA – confirmation of Portugal's qualification for the 2026 World Cup after the 9:1 victory against Armenia (link)
- FIFA – announcement of Roberto Martínez's appointment as Portugal head coach in January 2023 (link)
- Xinhua – report on the Portuguese Football Federation's announcement that Martínez had been appointed head coach until the 2026 World Cup (link)
- FIFA – announcement of Portugal's squad for the 2026 World Cup and confirmation of Ronaldo's sixth appearance at the tournament (link)
- Portuguese Football Federation FPF – overview of Martínez's mandate, qualification for Euro 2024, the 2025 Nations League and qualification for the 2026 World Cup (link)
- UEFA – report on the 2025 UEFA Nations League final between Portugal and Spain (link)
- UEFA – report on the Euro 2024 quarter-final between Portugal and France (link)