If 1966 represented a high point in England’s footballing history, it did for Portugal, too. Six decades on, their best performance in a World Cup remains the third place they secured at their first attempt. It might be unfair to frame everything that has followed as sixty years of hurt, however. In 2016, Portugal became champions of Europe. In the 21st century, as they excelled at exporting players and managers, arguably no footballing nation has had a bigger impact, relative to its size, than Portugal.
But perhaps that has not really been reflected in World Cups. Portugal reached a second semi-final in 2006, albeit in a tournament when they scored just two goals in four knockout games. They had a glorious chance to reach a third in 2022, but lost a quarter-final as Morocco instead became Africa’s first semi-finalists.
