Portugal starts defending the title against Wales and with attention in Jesus

Nthe José Alvalade Stadium, the 72-year-old coach, who succeeded the Spanish Roberto Martínez after the World Cup2026, will for the first time direct the national team, having ahead a Welsh formation that has been absent from the final stages of the big competitions, but that is back to the main league of nations.

In his first call, Jesus called 25 players, but eventually maintained the structure already coming from Martínez, keeping Captain Cristiano Ronaldo, even at 41, in his choices, calling only four new faces.

The goalkeeper Samuel Soares (Benfica), debutante, the defense Nuno Tavares (Lazio), the medium João Palhinha (Benfica) and the advanced Fábio Silva (Borussia Dortmund) are the only news of the start of the ‘age’ Jesus, names that should hardly jump to the initial ‘eleven’.

In terms of options, for now, little or nothing seems to have changed with Martínez's departure and Jesus' entry, but the type of game should certainly be changed with the former coach of Benfica and Sporting to want to implement his ideas and his usual 4-4-2, leaving the 4-3-3 of his predecessor on the ground.

This raises many doubts about the possible options of Jesus especially for the field, in which he has many options and very 'heavy' names such as Vitinha, João Neves, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva, but also for the duo in front, although the 'society' Félix-Ronaldo seems to have a great advantage.

In his visit to Al Nassr, the coach born in Amadora joined the two advanced players, who are still in the club, and this has borne fruit with the conquest of the Saudi League.

For now, of the 25 players summoned, they all appear to be physically available for the clash with Wales.

In Alvalade, Nuno Mendes, expected the holder, must reach the mark of 50 internationalizations, as well as Rafael Leão, if it is used.

After being absent from Euro2024 and the World Cup2026, Wales arrives in Lisbon under the command of Craig Bellamy, a former advanced polemic now 47, and will not be able to count on the extreme Harry Wilson, one of his main figures, injured.

The meeting of the first day of Group A4 is scheduled for 19:45.

In this first qualifying ‘window’, the national team also twice faces Norway, on 27 September, in Oslo, and on 4 October, in the Dragon Stadium, in Porto, and, in the middle, on 1 October, plays in Copenhagen with Denmark.

Portugal won two of the four editions of the League of Nations, the first in 2019, on a run-off with a 1-0 triumph against the Netherlands, in the final of the Dragon, with a goal of Gonçalo Guedes, at 60 minutes.

After the victories of France in 2021, and Spain in 2023, the selection of ‘chines’ again won the competition in 2025, this time thanks to a triumph in the decisive game against Spain, by 5-3 in the penaltis, after 2-2 in 120 minutes.