Why did PSG’s Portuguese stars fail to light up the World Cup?

Portugal were among the favourites for this World Cup in the eyes of many. Firstly, their midfield was cited as among the best in the tournament, with PSG’s duo of Joao Neves and Vitinha already used to playing alongside each other at club level, having led PSG to back-to-back Champions League victories.

Why PSG's stars failed to deliver for Portugal at the 2026 World Cup?

The midfield trio was completed by none other than by the Premier League player of the season, Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes. Ruben Dias and PSG’s Nuno Mendes were big names in defence – and while Pedro Neto and Joao Felix were more uncertain qualities going forwards, Cristiano Ronaldo seemed certain to be able to at least score some goals. Roberto Martinez was also a manager whose international record saw him lead Belgium to an impressive 3rd place during the 2018 World Cup.

A month on from this pre-tournament anticipation, and it’s safe to say that Martinez’s men have been a big let-down. Failing to win two of their three group games, they snuck through in second place and scraped past Croatia in the first knockout stage, before falling at the first real hurdle when coming up against Spain in the last 16. Martinez quit immediately after full-time, signalling further turmoil in a national team that has been poor at the last few major international tournaments, despite a core of players that on paper looks strong.

So what went wrong for Martinez’s men? The first issue seems to have been a lack of cohesiveness. The teams that have advanced furthest at this tournament have managed to maintain a togetherness and tactical balance that looked totally absent from Portugal’s tournament. Their attack, in particular, was toothless, with neither winger making much impact and Ronaldo often playing like the 41-year-old that he is.

Nuno Mendes, as he so often is for PSG, was a bright spark, but was forced off injured in two separate games, including in the eventual defeat to Spain. Neves and Vitinha also looked bright in moments, but were outplayed eventually by Spain’s own midfield, also one of the tournament’s best. Fernandes was poor, failing to recreate his brilliant club form at national team level whatsoever.

It’s another frustrating tournament then, for PSG’s three Portuguese boys (it was four at the start of the tournament before Gonçalo Ramos’ transfer to Milan) although it’s conversely quite good news for the club as it allows their three starts a slightly longer break than they would otherwise have been able to have. Speaking on social media after the tournament, Neves talked about a ‘mix of emotions’ in what he described as a ‘sad moment’. All three of PSG’s stars will surely remain Portugal stalwarts for a long time and will be excited to be part of the 2030 World Cup, in which they will be one of the hosts.

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