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Portugal will welcome Wales to Estadio Jose Alvalade on Thursday in both teams' opening game of the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League A.
Portugal are the reigning Nations League champions and will be embarking upon a new era under boss Jorge Jesus, who will hope to earn his first win in charge against Craig Bellamy's Wales,
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Portugal vs Wales key stats
- Wales have scored exactly one goal in each of their last four matches.
- Both teams have scored in four of Portugal's last seven games.
- Portugal defender Nuno Mendes produced five assists in his final 10 Nations League games in 2024-25.
Portugal vs Wales preview: Portugal begin their new era
Portugal vs Wales — Tale of the Tape
| Portugal | vs | Wales |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | Position | N/A |
| N/A | Points | N/A |
| N/A | Goals For | N/A |
| N/A | Goals Against | N/A |
| N/A | Clean Sheets | N/A |
| N/A | Home / Away Rank | N/A |
There is no way to describe Portugal's World Cup campaign other than disappointing, as while losing to eventual winners Spain in the round of 16 was not necessarily a disastrous result, their performances all summer were poor.
Much was made of the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo was a starter at the tournament at 41 years of age, and a number of pundits have called for the national team to move on from their greatest ever servent.
However, the Al-Nassr forward has been called up to the current squad, and he is set to make an appearance in some capacity on Thursday.
A win for Portugal would be their seventh in 11 matches in all competitions, and as two-time winners of the Nations League, new boss Jesus will be confident.
Wales will no doubt want to take their upcoming games as seriously as possible, but they could be forgiven for viewing their next set of fixtures as key preparation for Euro 2028, which they know they will be a part of as one of the competition's co-hosts.
The Dragons did not qualify for the World Cup, but they did earn promotion from their Nations League B group in 2024-25, finishing first with 12 points ahead of Turkey, Iceland and Montenegro.
Thursday's meeting will be just the third time that the visitors have encountered their hosts, though Bellamy will be aware that his side lost both of those games, the most recent of which was a 2-0 defeat in the semi-finals of Euro 2016.
Midfielder Ethan Ampadu has started the season for Leeds United in the Premier League in excellent fashion, and he is set to patrol the middle of the pitch for his country.
Portugal vs Wales preview form guide & betting tips
| Portugal | vs | Wales |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | Nations League Form | N/A |
| N/A | Points | N/A |
| N/A | Form Table | N/A |
| N/A | Goals For | N/A |
| N/A | Goals Against | N/A |
|
D
W
D
W
L
|
Form (All Comps) |
W
L
D
D
L
|
Whispers predicts: Portugal 3-1 Wales
While Wales may cause their opponents more difficulty than some expect, it comes as no surprise to see a Portugal win priced at 2/9 (1.22).
It would make sense to bet Under 1.5 Goals for Wales at 1/9 (1.11) due to the fact the visitors have scored exactly one goal in each of their last four matches.
There could be value in backing Both Teams to Score at 11/10 (2.1) given both teams have scored in four of Portugal's last seven games.
Portugal defender Nuno Mendes produced five assists in his final 10 Nations League games in 2024-25, so perhaps predicting Nuno Mendes to Assist at 19/5 (4.8) could be the way to go.
> Under 1.5 Goals for Wales at 1/9 (1.11) | Likelihood: Probable
> Both Teams to Score at 11/10 (2.1) | Likelihood: Possible
> Nuno Mendes to Assist at 19/5 (4.8) | Likelihood: Outsider