Qatar 2022 may just mark the final time Cristiano Ronaldo graces us with his presence at football’s biggest spectacle. And what a way it would be for him to bow out from the international stage, lifting the FIFA World Cup for the first time in his illustrious career, and completing a grand slam of winning every major trophy in the process.

CR7 and his Portuguese teammates are part of the mid-card when it comes to the tournament favourites. But websites like oddschecker, who compare online bookmakers offering free offers, also had Ronaldo and co in a similar position ahead of Euro 2016. They said the Seleção had only an outside chance of lifting the European Championship in France, but that’s exactly what happened.

On the global stage, Portugal have not had as much success as in the continental tournament, although twice the Seleção have reached the semi-finals. Manager Fernando Santos will be hoping his side can go all the way this winter and lift the greatest prize in sport. But what are Portugal’s chances compared to some of the favourites? 

Portugal’s U17 European Championship campaign got off to winning start in Lod after a comfortable 5-1 victory against Scotland. Goals to Ivan Lima, José Rodrigues and João Veloso established a 3-0 half time lead.

Scotland showed some fight early in the second half and got their reward when Magnus Mackenzie scored to get them back into the contest.

The fightback was short lived however, Afonso Moreira and Rodrigo Ribeiro scoring in the space of four minutes to end the contest.

Portugal have arrived in Tel Aviv as they make their final preparations for the 2022 UEFA European U17 Championship. Sixteen nations are competing in Israel with José Lima’s side attempting to lift the trophy for the third time.

The “Equipa das Quinas” have been drawn in Group D alongside Scotland, Sweden and Denmark. Their campaign begins against the Scots, the match taking place in Lod on Tuesday 17 May.

PortuGOAL’s Matthew Marshall is in Israel to repent for all his sins and see if Portugal can continue their proud history at the tournament. They won four titles when it was an U16 event and two titles at U17 level, in 2003 and 2016.

As excitement builds for the 2022 World Cup, many fans are already getting their World Cup bets on whom they think will win the tournament. During the tournament, we know how serious things get for the biggest national team fans. In fact, many of them get extremely nervous before each and every one of their kick-offs (and rightly so, it’s the biggest event in football).

For these, sometimes it’s easier to just sit back and relax or find something to distract them before each game. This could be by going for a walk alone and listening to relaxing music, or even doing something more entertaining like playing video games like Warzone, or online casino games like Big Bass Bonanza. The Portugal national team has shocked the world of football on several occasions in international tournaments over the past two decades and – good or bad – the Seleção always seems to keep their fans on their toes. Therefore, this butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling is especially the case for Portugal fans, as they do not really ever know what to expect.

Portugal earned their place at the 2022 World Cup with play-off victories over Turkey and North Macedonia. It will be the sixth consecutive World Cup finals appearance for the Seleção as they strive to better their third-place finish in 1966 and fourth-place finish in 2006, in Qatar. Despite a below-par performance at the 2020 European Championships last year, Portugal has an exciting blend of experience and talented players. Some of the nation’s big players could make a huge difference at the 2022 World Cup.