Martinez set to leave Portugal after World Cup 2026 as FPF issues statement

Roberto Martinez will leave his role as Portugal manager at the end of World Cup 2026, according to reports, with the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) issuing a statement that stopped short of denying the claims. The news emerges just one day before Portugal open their World Cup campaign against DR Congo at NRG Stadium in Houston.

The FPF said in a statement reported by the Mirror: “The FPF and Roberto Martinez are focused exclusively on the World Cup. The federation and the coach are aligned on this matter, as they have publicly stated.” The carefully worded response did little to quell speculation that Martinez’s time in charge is drawing to a close.

Underpinning the reports is a suggestion that the Portuguese FA had already reached an agreement with José Mourinho before the former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager was offered the chance to return to the Bernabéu, effectively closing off that avenue. Martinez, 52, is managing at a World Cup for the third time, having previously overseen Belgium’s campaigns in 2018 and 2022.

His tenure with Portugal has included guiding the side to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 in Germany, though they have not progressed beyond the last eight at a major tournament since reaching the semi-finals in 2006. Portugal face Uzbekistan and Colombia — both in Houston and Miami respectively — after their opener against DR Congo.

The stakes surrounding Portugal’s campaign extend beyond Martinez’s future. Captain Cristiano Ronaldo, now 41, is widely expected to retire from international football after the tournament, leaving whoever succeeds Martinez with the considerable task of rebuilding a squad around the absence of their all-time record scorer and most-capped player.

Martinez himself has a long history in English football, having played for Wigan Athletic, Swansea City, Motherwell, Walsall, and Chester City before moving into management. He earned his reputation as a coach at Swansea and Wigan before a three-season spell at Everton from 2013, and then a decade in international management — first with Belgium, then Portugal from 2022.

Should he depart after the World Cup, finding a successor willing to navigate the post-Ronaldo era without the safety net of Mourinho may prove a significant challenge for the FPF.