Jorge Jesus takes over as Portugal's new head coach

Jesus takes over, staff confirmed

Jorge Jesus is the new Portugal head coach. His full coaching staff has been named (2). The former Benfica and Flamengo boss steps in after Roberto Martinez walked away following the Spain defeat. No long search, no drawn-out saga, the federation moved fast.

Ticket prices crater after Portugal exit

World Cup tickets have dropped more than 50% since Portugal went out (1). The Ronaldo effect was real, without your team still in the tournament, demand has collapsed. For the fans who travelled, it stings. For the neutrals still in the US, it is suddenly a much cheaper tournament.

Infantino pushes for 64-team World Cup

FIFA president Gianni Infantino wants to expand the World Cup to 64 nations. His reasoning: every country should have a chance (3). The proposal would reshape qualifying for everyone, Portugal included. Whether this is genuine reform or just FIFA reaching for more TV money is the question fans are already asking.

Spain keep rolling: Merino winner against Belgium

The team that knocked you out is still alive. Spain beat Belgium 2–1 in the quarterfinals, with Mikel Merino scoring late again, same as he did against Portugal (6). Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring, Charlie Kettle leveled for Belgium, but Merino decided it. Spain move on.

Ronaldo out, Messi marches on

The parallel is brutal. Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal exited in the round of 16. Lionel Messi and Argentina are still in the tournament (5). Neymar's Brazil and Luka Modric's Croatia are also done. This was Ronaldo's last World Cup, he confirmed it. Messi gets another shot at the one that already has his name on it.

Premier League clubs circling Portugal international

Barcelona have revived interest in a Portugal international, with Manchester City and Tottenham also tracking the player (4). No name in the reports yet, but the noise is building. With the World Cup over for Portugal, attention turns quickly to the summer window.

Fan-reaktioner

Portuguese football fans are not just mourning the Spain loss, they are dissecting it. On Reddit, the post-mortems are already technical, with supporters debating what the team lacked in midfield control throughout the tournament. One fan traced the issue back to the DR Congo group-stage match and asked what makes an elite tempo controller, the kind of player your team simply did not have when it mattered. Read the full discussion