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Portugal get their revenge on Spain — this time in cricket — after FIFA World Cup heartbreak

Portugal have found a rather unexpected way to avenge their FIFA World Cup heartbreak against Spain.

Just over a month after Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. were knocked out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup by their neighbours, Portugal got one back — not on a football pitch, but on a cricket field.

Portugal defeated Spain by 57 runs in the final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Sub Regional Qualifier C in 2026, ending Spain's campaign and keeping their own dream of reaching the 2028 T20 World Cup alive.

The football defeat had come in July, when Spain edged Portugal 1-0 in the Round of 16 at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington, USA. Mikel Merino scored the decisive goal in stoppage time of regulation time, sending Ronaldo's Portugal out of the tournament.

This time, though, it was Portugal celebrating at Spain's expense.

Portugal turn the tables on Spain

Led by former Australia international Moises Henriques, Portugal produced a composed performance to claim the crucial qualifying victory.

Spain captain Christian Munoz-Mills won the toss and chose to field, but Portugal built a competitive total of 160/6.

Dhavalkumar Norotam made 23 and Christopher De Freitas scored 39 as Portugal made a steady start without quite managing to dominate the Spanish attack. Henriques, meanwhile, contributed 18 but could not convert his start into a substantial innings.

Portugal accelerated late in the innings through Craig Cachopa, who struck 25 off 21 balls, while Carlos Nunes added 15 off nine. Jeremy Martins provided an important final push with an unbeaten 18 off just eight deliveries.

Yasir Ali and Lorne Burns were Spain's best bowlers, taking two wickets apiece.

Spain's chase initially threatened to become interesting, but Portugal's bowlers quickly put the brakes on the pursuit.

Sebastian de Oliveira made the breakthrough early, while Martins also chipped in as Portugal reduced Spain to 32/3. Yasir Ali and Daniel Doyle Calle then began rebuilding the innings and gave Spain hope of mounting a serious chase.

Portugal close the door on Spain

Siraj Ullah Khadem changed the complexion of the contest in the 11th over when he bowled Yasir for 29.

With the pitch making life difficult for incoming batters, Portugal steadily tightened their grip. Khadem finished with impressive figures of 2/19, while Edward Fleming delivered the decisive blow with a three-wicket haul for just 13 runs.

Spain's promising chase soon turned into a procession, and Martins completed the job by bowling Lorne Burns as Portugal wrapped up a 57-run victory.

The triumph sends Portugal into the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier in 2027, putting them one step closer to a place in the global qualifying tournament for the 2028 T20 World Cup.

Portugal join Jersey and Denmark in the Europe Qualifier, while Scotland enter directly because of the exceptional circumstances surrounding their participation in the 2026 T20 World Cup. Italy and the Netherlands, meanwhile, advance directly to the Global Qualifier.

For Portugal, the result offers a wonderfully light-hearted twist to their recent sporting rivalry with Spain: Spain may have won the football battle, but Portugal have claimed the cricket rematch.

I'm planning to go to the first-ever ETPL game in Voorburg next Wednesday, but I'd rather not go alone.

Anyone else from the Netherlands/Utrecht planning on going? Would be cool to meet up and watch the game together!

Founded in 1893 by English citizens well-practiced with cricket bats, the "Genoa Cricket and Football Club" is the oldest in Italy and continues to transplant its roots around the world.

This video from Genoa CFC tells the story of Tipu, Abdul, and their teammates, who gather every weekend at Ponte Parodi to introduce people to cricket.

This is also a tribute to the Italian national team which made history by qualifying for and winning its first ICC Men's T20 World Cup match against Nepal.

Source/Credit: Genoa CFC, Cricket Italy & Museo del Genoa

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Hi everyone, I'm Ayan (18.5M). Due to family issues, I couldn’t start cricket early, so my basics aren't fully clear yet. But my ultimate dream is to play the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), and I am ready to hustle and grind as hard as humanly possible.

​I am currently confused between two paths:

​1. Staying in Dhanbad, Jharkhand (JSCA)

​Pros: Very small player pool, so getting noticed by selectors could be easier.

​Cons: The cricket culture and proper facilities are severely lacking.

​2. Moving to Pune, Maharashtra (MCA)

​The Plan: My family is strictly against this move. If I go, I will have to manage a job + graduation + cricket entirely on my own to survive.

​The Fear: I have zero fear of the struggle, but I am terrified of getting lost in Pune's massive crowd of talented players.

​My Core Questions for people who know the system:

​If I move to Pune and join a good academy at this age, will they even give me the time and attention to face 150-200 balls daily to fix my basics?

​Considering I am willing to out-work anyone, where do I actually have a better chance of getting noticed by selectors—grinding in Pune's massive but highly equipped system, or staying in Dhanbad's smaller pool?