Portugal qualify for World Cup with 9-1 thrashing of Armenia

Portugal crushed Armenia 9-1 without suspended talisman Cristiano Ronaldo to clinch qualification for the 2026 World Cup finals on Sunday.

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Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes and Paris Saint-Germain’s Joao Neves both scored hat-tricks as Roberto Martinez’s side racked up a huge win in Porto to top Group F.

Renato Veiga got the ball rolling for Portugal, with Goncalo Ramos and Francisco Conceicao also on the scoresheet.

After a draw in Hungary in October and a surprise defeat at Ireland on Thursday in which Ronaldo was sent off, Portugal wrapped up qualification at the third attempt in their final group match.

They will compete in a seventh consecutive edition of the World Cup, a tournament which the Euro 2016 champions are yet to win.

Earlier, Spain all but mathematically booked their ticket to the World Cup with a 4-0 thrashing of Georgia on Saturday, with Turkey delaying their celebrations by edging Bulgaria 2-0.

Kosovo likewise prevented Switzerland from booking their spot in North America next year, beating Slovenia 2-0 to prolong the Group B suspense for another three days.

Switzerland's 4-1 win over Sweden, though, means that only an unlikely thrashing in Kosovo on Tuesday could prevent them from progressing.