Who: Portugal vs Wales What: UEFA Nations League Where: Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon, Portugal When: Thursday, September 24, at 7:45pm ( ) How to follow: Al Jazeera Sport will have live build-up from ahead of our text commentary stream coverage. Cristiano Ronaldo walked into a packed room, claimed to be nervous, then did what he has done for more than two decades: taking centre stage, swatting away critics and insisting the final whistle is not yet in sight. The 41-year-old Portugal captain, speaking on Wednesday at the Portugal Football Summit main stage before Thursday’s UEFA Nations League match against Wales, said he still had plenty to offer his country as Jorge Jesus prepares for his first game as national team coach.
Jesus replaced Roberto Martinez after Portugal’s disappointing World Cup campaign ended in the round of 16 against eventual champions Spain. Ronaldo, now on 979 career goals – 833 for clubs and 146 for Portugal – is 21 short of the 1,000-goal landmark he has openly targeted. Asked whether winning the Nations League or reaching four figures mattered more, he grinned and chose both.
No … The rest is about enjoying it, enjoying every day.” Ronaldo acknowledged he had considered his international future after Portugal’s World Cup exit, but said talks with the Portuguese FA and Jesus convinced him to continue. I still believe that I’m able to help the national team,” he said. No, I don’t know.” Ronaldo also bristled at criticism, saying media outlets had been trying to “kill” him for years.
Portugal picked up their second Nations League title by beating the previous champions Spain 5-3 on penalties following a thrilling 2-2 draw in the final in June 2025. Ronaldo scored Portugal’s second goal to take the final to a shootout, with Alvaro Morata’s miss proving costly for Spain as Ruben Neves struck the winning spot kick. The 16 top-ranked teams play in four round-robin groups through November.
The top two in each group advance to quarterfinals played over two legs in March. A “Final Four” mini-tournament from June 9-13 will be hosted by one of the semifinalists. A further 16 teams play in each of the second-tier League B and third-tier League C, with six low-ranked teams in League D.
The final standings will help some teams enter qualifying playoffs in March 2028 for that year’s European Championship. It is 10 years since the sides last met, but the previous encounter was a big one. Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani scored the goals in a 2-0 win in the semifinal of Euro 2016.
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