The manager of the national team of Portugal, Paulo Bento, responded to a question about the team's chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, emphasizing that they must fight until the end for the ticket to the tournament and that the team will strive for the best position. Preparation for the upcoming match against Iran in the knockout stage of the third round of the qualifying stage for the World Cup is going well. "We are aiming to secure the best place in these qualifying tournaments and working for this 'match by match, step by step'," noted the national team's coach. "I am pleased with the players, especially noting that they are showing good performance." Referring to the upcoming match against Iran, Bento stated: "I expect a very strong match against the Iranian national team, which is one of the strongest in the group and also in Asia. We faced difficulties in previous matches against such teams, but we learn from our mistakes and will give our best. Sometimes in past matches, the team did not deserve to lose." Bento pointed out that the current squad is considered the shortest compared to previous ones, and it is always better to prepare in advance, but they do have to adapt to circumstances. "We aim to bring the players to maximum readiness, we started gathering a certain group of players, but training will continue after all footballers return," noted the coach.
