World Cup qualifying round prediction Portugal vs Republic of Ireland, 01:45 October 12: Confidently extending winning streak

Pre-match comments

After winning their second consecutive UEFA Nations League title in June, Portugal continued their impressive form as they kicked off their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with back-to-back wins over Armenia and Hungary, scoring a total of eight goals.

In the opening match, Selecao easily defeated Armenia with a score of 5-0 away. In the match against Hungary, coach Roberto Martínez and his team had to wait until the 86th minute to seal a dramatic 3-2 victory, thanks to a golden goal by Joao Cancelo.

Entering the final stages of 2025, Portugal is aiming for the dream of the first World Cup in history. Coach Martínez said he "believes in numbers", especially the number 6, recalling Portugal's third place at the 1966 World Cup and the Euro 2016 championship, two historical milestones in the country's football history.

The world’s fifth-ranked team are now not only assured of a playoff spot thanks to their Nations League win, but also lead Group F by three points. Another win over Ireland would see Ronaldo and his teammates extend their winning streak to six in all competitions, cementing their place at the top and edging closer to a direct trip to the US.

Meanwhile, the Republic of Ireland continues to struggle to regain the glory that has been lost for nearly two decades. Since the 2006 World Cup, they have not once participated in the biggest football festival on the planet. After the first two matches, Ireland only had 1 point when they drew 2-2 with Hungary when leading, then lost 1-2 to Armenia, a team 45 places below them in the FIFA rankings.

Midfielder Finn Azaz admitted after the defeat: “We know we let the fans down, and we let ourselves down too.”

Ireland knew ahead of their trip to Lisbon that this was going to be a tough test. They had never won in Portugal in six encounters (D1 L5), and had won just two of their last eight away games, four of which they had failed to score.

On the other hand, Portugal is full of confidence with a quality squad and stable performance. Another victory will not only help the "Selecao das Quinas" maintain their winning streak, but also send a strong message: the red team is truly ready to conquer the world cup.

Force information

Portugal will be without Joao Neves (PSG) and Joao Cancelo (Al Hilal) due to hamstring injuries.

On the other side, the Republic of Ireland is without Matt Doherty, Jason Knight, Bosun Lawal, Callum O'Dowda and Sammie Szmodics due to injury. Striker Troy Parrott has just recovered and has been called up, but the possibility of playing is still open.

Expected lineup

Portugal (4-3-3): Costa; Dalot, Dias, Inacio, Mendes; Bernardo, Vitinha, Fernandes; Conceição, Ronaldo, Neto

Republic of Ireland (3-4-2-1): Kelleher; O'Brien, O'Shea, Collins; Ogbene; Cullen, Knight, Manning; Taylor, Azaz; Ferguson

Score prediction : Portugal 2-0 Ireland