Martínez bets on Inácio, Cancelo and Félix

This is Portugal's fourth time playing in Armenia, having only won once in previous matches. That victory dates back to 2015 and the 2016 European Championship qualifying round, when the national team won 3-2 thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo hat trick . Previously, there were two draws: 0-0 in 1996 and 1-1 in 2007.

"Portugal is very strong, but that doesn't mean Armenia can't win or fight for points. We're ambitious. There are no perfect teams. Portugal also has its weaker points, and that's what we have to take advantage of," Eghishe Melikyan recalled.

"It's a different challenge. We have two away games. We know that, historically, matches between Portugal and Armenia have always been competitive. I expect a new chapter. They have a new coach and may make tactical changes. We respect the Armenian national team and know the quality of their players. Our opponent will be playing at home, and we respect that. We'll have to match their intensity. It's an important challenge," admitted Roberto Martínez.

In the first call-up for the trip to the United States, Mexico, and Canada, the national coach ended up having João Cancelo as the main new player, with the full-back returning from injury. Two days before the Yerevan match, Diogo Dalot withdrew from the squad due to muscle discomfort, and Nuno Tavares was called in to replace him. Regarding the Nations League, the late Jota, Rodrigo Mora, Nelson Semedo, and Rafael Leão were left out, the latter two due to physical problems.

About two months after the incident, the national team gathered again at the Cidade do Futebol (Football City) and didn't forget the Portuguese international. Roberto Martínez immediately set the tone when announcing the squad: 23+1. Pedro Proença, president of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), echoed the sentiment at the ceremony honoring Jota and Jorge Costa. Their teammates also joined in the celebration, notably Rúben Neves, who will now wear his best friend's number 21 jersey.

Between winning the Nations League in June and the start of qualifying for next year's World Cup, much has changed within the National Team, especially after that fateful morning of July 3. The country and the football world awoke in mourning after the death of Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva in Spain, and since then, that grief has been expressed in tributes.

Gonçalo Inácio and João Cancelo are Roberto Martínez's options for defense, which also includes Rúben Dias and Nuno Mendes. In attack, the coach opted to pair João Félix with Cristiano Ronaldo and Pedro Neto.

Portugal's starting eleven: Diogo Costa; João Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Gonçalo Inácio, Nuno Mendes; Vitinha, João Neves, Bruno Fernandes; Pedro Neto, João Felix and Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal's substitutes: Jose Sá, Rui Silva; Nuno Tavares, António Silva, Renato Veiga, João Palhinha, Gonçalo Ramos, Bernardo Silva, Pedro Gonçalves, Francisco Trincao, Francisco Conceição and Ruben Neves.

Coach: Roberto Martinez

The 𝗫𝗜 𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 for the game against Armenia 🦾 #MakeHistory | #ARMPOR #WCQ pic.twitter.com/U19m6EX78b

— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) September 6, 2025

Armenia's eleven: Henri Avagyan; Erik Piloyan; Georgi Harutyunyan, Sergey Muradyan, Nayair Tiknizyan; Kamo Hovhannisyan, Ugochukwu Iwu, Eduard Spertsyan, Vahan Bichakhchyan; Tigran Barseghyan and Lucas Zelarayán

Armenia substitutes: Ognjen Cancarevic, Arsen Beglaryan; Albert Khachumyan, Edgar Sevikyan, Artur Serobyan, Eric Simonyan, Narek Aghasaryan, Grant-Leon Ranos, Hovhannes Harutyunyan, Edgar Grigoryan, Artak Dashyan and Zhirayr Shaghoyan

Coach: Eghishe Melikyan

Good afternoon! We're launching another Observador liveblog to cover all the action from the Armenia-Portugal match, which marks the start of the qualifying phase for next year's World Cup. The match kicks off at 5 p.m. in Yerevan. Stay tuned!