Portugal vs Wales: UEFA Nations League Kickoff with Ronaldo

Portugal, the standard-bearers of the UEFA Nations League, step into a new era on Thursday night with a familiar figure still at the heart of it all.

Cristiano Ronaldo, 41 years old and still chasing goals, headlines Jorge Jesus’s first competitive XI as the defending champions open their 2026-27 campaign at home to Wales.

New boss, same expectations

Jorge Jesus officially took the reins on July 10, inheriting a team bruised but hardly broken by their 2026 World Cup exit. Portugal’s 1-0 defeat to eventual champions Spain in the last 16 ended an unbeaten run stretching back to November 2025, a reminder of how high the bar has been set.

This is not a rebuild. It is a continuation with an edge.

Portugal have turned the Nations League into their competition. They lifted the inaugural title in 2018-19, edging Netherlands 1-0 in the final, then reclaimed the crown in 2024-25 with a penalty-shootout victory over Spain. No one has won it more.

Now they enter League A, Group 4, where Wales, Denmark and Norway stand between them and the quarter-finals. Two games this month — Wales at home, Norway away — before October trips to Denmark and a home rematch with Norway will quickly reveal how smoothly the Jesus era is bedding in.

Ronaldo still at the centre

Ronaldo’s international future looked in serious doubt after that World Cup loss to Spain. It did not end. Jesus named him in his first squad; the all-time leading scorer in men’s international football is expected to start and chase yet more goals, adding to his astonishing tally of 146 for Portugal.

Around him, there is continuity and quality. Diogo Costa is set to start in goal. At the back, a familiar core with the likes of Ruben Dias should anchor a side that expects to dominate the ball. In midfield, Vitinha, Joao Neves and Bruno Fernandes offer control, legs and creativity — a trio built to suffocate games and feed the attacking line.

Out wide and between the lines, Pedro Neto and Joao Felix bring pace and invention, tasked with stretching Wales and freeing space for Ronaldo to operate inside the box.

Portugal possible starting XI:
Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Veiga, Mendes; Vitinha, J Neves; Neto, Fernandes, Felix; Ronaldo

Wales step back into the deep end

For Wales, this is a return to the top tier of the Nations League, and it comes with immediate jeopardy.

Craig Bellamy’s side missed out on the 2026 World Cup, falling to Bosnia-Herzegovina in the playoff semi-finals in March. Since then, they have drawn with Northern Ireland and Ghana in friendlies and slipped to a 2-1 defeat against Romania. The form line — WWLDDL across all competitions — tells the story of a team still searching for rhythm at the highest level.

They earned their way back to League A by securing promotion from League B in 2024-25 and arrive with a respectable Nations League record: 10 wins, five draws and seven defeats in 22 matches. But the jump in class is real, and the schedule is unforgiving: Denmark away on September 27, Norway at home on October 1, then Denmark at home on October 4.

This trip to Portugal is the steepest climb of the lot.

Injury blows and thin margins

The challenge has grown harsher in the days leading up to kick-off. Wales have been hit by a triple injury setback, with Harry Wilson, Nathan Broadhead and Karl Darlow all withdrawing from the squad. In response, Bellamy has called up David Cornell of Leicester City, Joe Taylor of Huddersfield Town and Charlie Savage of Reading.

They join a group already missing Joe Rodon, Dylan Lawlor, Rubin Colwill and Isaak Davies. Depth, never Wales’s strongest asset, is stretched.

The attacking burden will fall heavily on Daniel James, David Brooks and Brennan Johnson. James, with his speed and relentless running, could even be asked to lead the line through the middle, looking to exploit any space behind Portugal’s high defensive line. Brooks and Johnson will need to be ruthless on the counter; clear chances will be rare.

Wales possible starting XI:
Ward; N Williams, Cabango, Norrington-Davies, Dasilva; Ampadu, J James; Brooks, Thomas, Johnson; D James

History and the weight of the occasion

These two nations have met only four times. Wales have just one win to show for it, a friendly victory back in May 1951. Their only competitive clash came on the biggest of stages: the Euro 2016 semi-final, where goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani carried Portugal to a 2-0 win and, ultimately, to the trophy itself.

The gap between the sides has rarely felt smaller in terms of pure talent across Europe, yet on this night, with Portugal at home and fully loaded, the gulf in depth and experience is stark.

Portugal’s recent form across all competitions — WDWDWL — underlines their consistency at elite level. Even in defeat to Spain, they were edged rather than outclassed. Wales, by contrast, are still trying to re-establish a clear identity in the post-Gareth Bale era.

Prediction

Wales will not arrive to roll over. Bellamy’s teams do not do that. But with so many key players missing and Portugal stacked with quality in every line, the odds lean heavily toward the holders.

Portugal have the firepower and control to turn this into a statement start.

Prediction: Portugal 3-1 Wales.

If that scoreline plays out, the question will not be whether Portugal can get out of this group — it will be who can stop them taking aim at a third Nations League crown.