Portugal host Denmark in Braga on 14 November, needing one point for top spot

The fixture

Portugal host Denmark at the Estádio Municipal de Braga on 14 November 2026, with kick-off at 19:45 and a sold-out crowd expected. Slovenian referee Rade Obrenovic will take charge of the fifth matchday of Group A4. Portugal have already secured a place in the quarter-finals, so the match is about first place in the group and the top seeding that comes with it. Jorge Jesus and a player yet to be named will preview the game at a press conference at the same stadium at 19:45 on Friday, 13 November.

Group standings

Portugal lead Group A4 on 12 points from four wins, ahead of Denmark on six points, while Wales and Norway have three points each. The race for the second qualifying place is still open. A single point against Denmark would confirm Portugal's first place and their status as a top seed. Portugal then visit Cardiff on Tuesday, 17 November, to face Wales in the final group game.

Portugal12

Denmark6

Wales3

Norway3

Portugal

12 points

Denmark

6 points

Wales

3 points

Norway

3 points

Data from the article text

Squad news

João Palhinha missed the training session on Thursday, 12 November, with a flu-like illness and is in doubt for the match. He was the only absentee from the squad of 27 players named by Jesus. João Cancelo, who began the camp with some limitations, has trained fully with the group again, but he is ruled out of the Denmark game because of a suspension. Flávio Nazinho, a 23-year-old, was called up after the announcement on Monday, 9 November, following the injury to Nuno Tavares. At the press conference in Oeiras, he said:

“I am living this moment well and very happy to be here. I think all athletes want to be here, and I am no different from the others.”

Nazinho also said his teammates had made him feel welcome and that his adjustment was easier because he had already played alongside several of them. He did not yet know who would wear the number seven shirt left vacant by Cristiano Ronaldo.

Life without Ronaldo

The Denmark match is one of the first games since Cristiano Ronaldo officially left the national team after 23 years, 234 games and 146 goals. Portugal will hold a final training session on Friday, 13 November, at 11:30 at the Cidade do Futebol in Oeiras, with the first 15 minutes open to the media. The squad will then travel to Braga in the afternoon. Denmark, on six points, will need a result in Braga to keep their qualifying hopes alive, while the Cardiff game on 17 November closes the group stage for Portugal.