{"id":2461,"date":"2026-10-05T08:38:25","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T08:38:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/10\/05\/portugal-norway-uefa-nations-league-no-ronaldo\/"},"modified":"2026-10-05T08:38:25","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T08:38:25","slug":"portugal-norway-uefa-nations-league-no-ronaldo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/10\/05\/portugal-norway-uefa-nations-league-no-ronaldo\/","title":{"rendered":"Portugal face Norway without Ronaldo in UEFA Nations League showdown"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"9fece8afa224fd09e54b043d0febfb58\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- NR ATF -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8898941184964366\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"4839033563\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>Portugal will take on Norway in the UEFA Nations League on Sunday, October 4, at the Est\u00e1dio do Drag\u00e3o in Porto. The match, scheduled for 20:45 local time (18:45 GMT), is part of Group A4 of the 2026\u201127 edition. A notable storyline is the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, who left the Portuguese camp late on Wednesday after being omitted from the starting eleven for a second consecutive game.<\/p>\n<h2>Ronaldo\u2019s unexpected departure<\/h2>\n<p>Following a pre\u2011match press conference in which coach Jorge Jesus confirmed that the five\u2011time Ballon d\u2019Or winner would not start, the 41\u2011year\u2011old striker walked out of the squad. Ronaldo had been slated to train with his teammates at Copenhagen\u2019s Parken Stadium but chose instead to return to Portugal. In an Instagram post, he promised to explain his reasons to the Portuguese public at a later date, describing his exit as a personal decision.<\/p>\n<p>According to Spanish daily <em>Marca<\/em>, both Jesus and Portuguese federation president Pedro Proen\u00e7a travelled to Copenhagen Airport in an attempt to persuade Ronaldo to stay, but the player boarded his private jet and left. Jesus, who was appointed in July, later insisted there was no rift, though he acknowledged that Ronaldo was disappointed to remain on the bench against Norway.<\/p>\n<p>Ronaldo, Portugal\u2019s all\u2011time leading scorer with 146 goals, had spent the entire 2\u20111 Nations League win in Norway last weekend on the bench. He had captained the side in a 1\u20110 victory over Wales the previous Thursday. His sudden exit adds a new layer of intrigue to a team that has so far maintained a perfect record in the competition.<\/p>\n<h2>Portugal and Norway\u2019s paths in the Nations League<\/h2>\n<p>Portugal sit atop Group A4 with nine points from three wins. Their campaign began with a 1\u20110 home win over Wales, followed by a 2\u20111 victory in Oslo against Norway, and a 4\u20112 triumph over Denmark in Copenhagen. The Selecao are chasing a third consecutive Nations League title, a record\u2011extending achievement.<\/p>\n<p>Norway, by contrast, occupy the second\u2011bottom slot with three points. Their opening match produced a 3\u20112 home win over Denmark, but they then suffered 2\u20111 defeats both at home to Portugal and away to Wales in Cardiff. The Norwegians have only one win in the group, but their squad includes Erling Haaland, who has emerged as one of Europe\u2019s most lethal forwards.<\/p>\n<p>Historically, the two nations have met 12 times, with Portugal winning nine, Norway one and two draws. Their most recent encounter in the current Nations League cycle was the 2\u20111 win for Portugal in Oslo, where Jo\u00e3o F\u00e9lix and Gon\u00e7alo Ramos scored for the Portuguese side and Haaland added a consolation goal for Norway.<\/p>\n<p>Form guides show Portugal on a run of four wins and one loss in their last five games, while Norway have recorded two wins, two losses and one draw in the same span.<\/p>\n<h2>Players to watch and probable line\u2011ups<\/h2>\n<p>For Portugal, Jo\u00e3o F\u00e9lix has become a reliable scorer, finding the net in each of the three matches so far. Gon\u00e7alo Ramos, who has stepped in for Ronaldo, has also contributed goals in the last two fixtures. The Portuguese XI is expected to feature Diogo Costa in goal; a back four of Jo\u00e3o Cancelo, R\u00faben Dias, Renato Veiga and Nuno Mendes; midfielders R\u00faben Neves and Vitinha; and an attacking line of Pedro Neto, Bruno Fernandes, Rafael Le\u00e3o and Ramos. Winger Francisco Concei\u00e7\u00e3o is listed as doubtful because of a thigh injury.<\/p>\n<p>Norway\u2019s attack will revolve around Erling Haaland, who has already scored three of the nation\u2019s four goals in the competition, and Oscar Bobb, who has added two. Their probable starting eleven includes goalkeeper \u00d8rjan Nyland; a defensive line of Julian Ryerson (who is doubtful with a muscle injury), Kristoffer Ajer, Leo \u00d8stig\u00e5rd and David M\u00f8ller Wolfe; midfielders Martin \u00d8degaard, Sander Berge and Patrick Berg; and a forward trio of Bobb, Haaland and Antonio Nusa. Centre\u2011back Torbj\u00f8rn Heggem is suspended for the match.<\/p>\n<p>Both teams have a clear broadcast plan. In Portugal the game will be shown on Sport TV Portugal, while Norwegian viewers can watch via TV2 PLAY. Prime Video UK will carry the match in the United Kingdom, FOX Sports, FuboTV and ViX in the United States, Sony Sports Network in India, beIN SPORTS across the Middle East and North Africa, and DStv Stream in South Africa. UEFA\u2019s official broadcaster list provides additional regional options.<\/p>\n<p>Al Jazeera Sport will provide live updates starting at 15:45 GMT, offering a build\u2011up to the kickoff. Fans can also follow the action through various streaming services listed above.<\/p>\n<p>The match promises a tactical battle: Portugal will look to preserve their unbeaten run without their iconic captain, relying on the creativity of F\u00e9lix and the finishing of Ramos. Norway will aim to exploit the space left by Ronaldo\u2019s absence, with Haaland\u2019s physical presence and clinical edge posing a constant threat. The outcome could have significant implications for the group standings, as Portugal seeks to secure the top spot and Norway hopes to climb out of the relegation zone.<\/p>\n<p>With the drama surrounding Ronaldo\u2019s departure and Haaland\u2019s hunger for goals, the Sunday fixture is set to be a compelling chapter in the 2026\u201127 Nations League narrative.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Portugal host Norway in Porto on Oct. 4, but the Selecao will be without Cristiano Ronaldo after his abrupt departure from the squad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2462,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[299],"tags":[2698,2696,2693,2697,2485],"class_list":["post-2461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-haaland","tag-norway","tag-portugal","tag-ronaldo","tag-uefa-nations-league","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2461\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}