Portugal and Norway secured their places at the FIFA World Cup 2026 following commanding victories in their respective qualifying matches, marking significant milestones for both teams.
In Porto, Portugal clinched qualification with a dominant 9-1 win over Armenia, despite the absence of captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who was serving a suspension following his red card in the defeat to Ireland. 
Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves each scored hat-tricks, leading a relentless Portuguese attack.
The scoring opened with Renato Veiga&rsquo;s header after a rebound, before Armenia equalised through Eduard Spertsian from a Grant-Leon Ranos cross. 
Portugal quickly restored their lead when Gon&ccedil;alo Ramos capitalised on a defensive error.&nbsp;
The momentum continued as Fernandes set up Neves for a powerful finish, followed by a perfectly placed free-kick for Neves' second. 
Fernandes completed his hat-trick with two penalties and a composed right-footed strike, while Neves added his third.&nbsp;
Francisco Conceicao netted a final-minute goal to cap Portugal&rsquo;s emphatic win.
Norway also secured their World Cup return for the first time since 1998, defeating Italy 4-1 in Milan to maintain a perfect qualification record. 
Erling Haaland scored twice, equalling Robert Lewandowski&rsquo;s record of 16 goals in a qualification campaign. 
Italy, needing a near-impossible nine-goal victory to progress, took an early lead through Pio Esposito after a link-up with Federico Dimarco. 
Norway responded strongly in the second half, with Antonio Nusa equalising before Haaland&rsquo;s double and a late strike from Jorgen Strand Larsen sealed the result.
Elsewhere, Ireland claimed second place in Group F after a dramatic late winner against Hungary in Budapest, while Ukraine secured the Group D runners-up position with two late goals against Iceland. 
France, England, Serbia, and Israel concluded their qualification campaigns with wins over Azerbaijan, Albania, Latvia, and Moldova, respectively. 
England captain Harry Kane added two more goals to his international tally as his team completed a perfect qualification run.
&mdash;IANS

Players celebrating qualification during FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers match

Portugal rout Armenia as Norway topple Italy to secure their places at the 2026 World Cup

Portugal, Norway Clinch 2026 World Cup Spots

Portugal rout Armenia as Norway topple Italy to secure their places at the 2026 World Cup

November 17, 2025 | 10:22 IST