Portugal will visit Mexico and the United States in March, in preparation games for the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-organized by those two countries, in addition to Canada, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) announced this Tuesday, December 2nd.
The ‘quinas’ team will face the Mexicans on March 28th of next year, in Mexico City, marking the inauguration of the renovated Azteca Stadium, which will host, among others, the opening duel of the final phase of the biggest international competition of national teams.
Three days later, the team led by Spaniard Roberto Martínez will head to Atlanta to face the North Americans at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, another of the competition’s venues.
Portugal will face Mexico for the sixth time, after three wins and two draws, with the last two duels taking place in the 2017 Confederations Cup, in Russia, with the Portuguese triumphing in extra time in the third and fourth place match (2-1), after a draw at the start of Group A in the first phase (2-2).
The national team never visited the Aztecs, unlike what happened against the United States in 1992, when they lost in a friendly in Chicago (1-0), in the fourth of seven matches between the two, which resulted in two wins, three draws and two defeats for the Portuguese, in a history last updated in 2017, in a draw in Leiria (1-1).
Portugal will play its first two matches in 2026 in North America, with the particularity of completing the 700th match in its history in Mexico, in the last stage before announcing the squad for its ninth, and seventh consecutive, participation in the World Cup, which it accessed in November, as leader of European qualifying Group F.
“The holding of the two games, with times yet to be defined, in addition to allowing the teams to fulfill their preparation plans, reinforces the alignment of these countries which, in the coming years, will share a prominent role in the organization of the two biggest events in world football: the 2026 and 2030 World Cups”but no FPF note.
The 23rd edition of the largest international selection competition has a draw scheduled for Friday, at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, in Washington, and will take place between June 11 and July 19, 2026, with 48 participating teams for the first time, in an unprecedented tripartite organization of the United States, Mexico and Canada.