Portugal’s Euro 2024 campaign came to a crashing halt as they suffered a heartbreaking defeat against France in a penalty shootout, marking the end of Cristiano Ronaldo’s tournament journey. At 39 years old, Ronaldo had already announced that this would be his final Euro Cup, ruling out any chance of appearing in the 2028 UEFA Euro in the UK and Ireland. Questions now loom over Ronaldo’s inclusion in Portugal’s squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers, with doubts exacerbated by his lack of form during Euro 2024, where he failed to score and appeared far from his peak.
Coach Roberto Martinez may now pivot towards younger, more dynamic players following Portugal’s underwhelming performance in Euro 2024, despite boasting a squad filled with stars. The tournament saw Portugal suffer defeats like the one against Georgia and scrape through with a penalty shootout victory over Slovenia in the pre-quarterfinals.
In a tense encounter against France, the match remained deadlocked until the final whistle, leading to a dramatic shootout where France emerged victorious. Joao Felix’s penalty miss proved decisive, sending Kylian Mbappe’s team into the semi-finals against Spain on July 10th.
