Roberto Martinez Hints at Leaving Portugal after 2026 World Cup: Won't Disturb Team

JAKARTA - Roberto Martinez gave a strong signal that the 2026 World Cup will be his last tournament as Portugal's head coach.

"This is not new news. We have talked about this many times in Portugal. Maybe it's new news elsewhere, but in Portugal we have talked about it a lot."

"The focus remains on continuing the work we have done over the last three and a half years," Martinez said of reports of his departure after the 2026 World Cup.

Martinez signed a contract as Portugal coach in January 2023, immediately after ending his six-year tenure as Belgium national team coach.

He has coached 40 matches for Portugal, with 28 wins, seven draws, and the 2024/2025 UEFA Nations League title.

"All I can show is a very consistent campaign. We won the UEFA Nations League - the most challenging edition so far."

"We played 10 games, went through the knockout stages, beat Germany in Germany, and then won the final against Spain."

"It is a significant achievement. The team is in excellent condition. The players have confidence, but they also understand that the 2026 World Cup is really different from other tournaments. We have to prove ourselves once again," he said of his tenure.

The Spanish coach said that whatever happens at the 2026 World Cup, the cycle will likely be over.

"When I arrived in Portugal, the goal was to try to win everything possible every day, but the most important thing was to prepare for the 2026 World Cup."

"Now we're here, 40 games later, after winning the UEFA Nations League, and the focus remains the same, which is that the 2026 World Cup is the most important thing."

"Of course, people may see it as news, but for me it's not news. It's just a fact, not news," Martinez said.

Apart from that, Martinez also confirmed that center back Ruben Dias will not play on Thursday, June 18, 2026, early morning WIB, when Portugal begins the 2026 World Cup journey against the Democratic Republic of Congo in Houston.

"Ruben Dias is not 100 percent fit, so he can't play. This is not the time to take risks," said Martinez.

Dias missed most of the second half of the season with Manchester City due to a hamstring injury, but the current problem stems from an injury he suffered in a friendly match before the 2026 World Cup when Portugal played Nigeria.

"Ruben Dias arrived in perfect condition. He played the full 90 minutes for his club in the last Premier League game, which always helps."

"He then trained very well during the preparations and in the match against Nigeria. Unfortunately, football is a contact sport."

"Ruben suffered a collision during the match against Nigeria. We did a test and structurally everything is fine. Now it's just a matter of not taking risks," said Martinez.

Dias will not be replaced from the 26-man Portugal roster. He is expected to return to the lineup soon. Martinez has several players to fill the center back position.

"We have three natural centre-backs and Ruben Dias is developing well. In addition, we have players who can also play in the central defensive position."

"We have used players like Ruben Neves and Diogo Dalot in that role. The flexibility of our squad is more valuable than bringing in new players who are less experienced in the Portugal national team and don't fully understand what we have been working on," said Martinez.

With a deep squad and Bruno Fernandes and Vitinha leading a midfield considered by many to be one of the best in the world, Portugal are currently listed as favourites to win the 2026 World Cup.

However, many underdogs have struggled in the first match of the 2026 World Cup. Therefore, Martinez does not want to take any opponent lightly, including Congo, which will be faced in the opening match of the group stage.

"First of all, we all have a lot of respect for what Congo and their coach have achieved. We are talking about a team that finished above Cameroon and Nigeria."

"Then they performed very well at the continental level. I would describe them as a very flexible team. They are not just a team that defends and plays defensively."

"They defend the space very well and have many players who compete in the big European leagues. Therefore, we have great respect for Congo," said Martinez.