84% of Portuguese people believe that the national team is the country's greatest unifying factor

Betclic World Cup 2026 Barometer 

Lisbon, 16 June 2026 – On the eve of Portugal's first match at the FIFA World Cup 2026, Betclic, Official Partner of the Portuguese Football Federation and the Portugal national teams, reveals the results of a YouGov/Betclic study conducted among 1,000 adult Portuguese. This survey explores how the Portuguese experience, perceive and anticipate their national team's participation in the competition. 

The main finding of the study is that 84% of respondents consider the Portuguese national team to remain the greatest factor of unity in the country. Regardless of gender, age or region, the idea that Portugal gathers behind its national selection enjoys broad consensus. 

"These results confirm what we have always felt, without ever having truly measured it: when the national team plays, Portugal stops. This is about much more than football. It is a matter of identity, belonging and, above all, of what makes us Portuguese," says Tiago Simões, Country Manager of Betclic Portugal. 

The study also highlights a paradox in how the Portuguese assess their team's chances at the World Cup. While only 33% of respondents state they have a high level of confidence in the national team's performance, 65% nevertheless expect to see Portugal reach at least the semi-finals. In other words, two out of three Portuguese anticipate a run to the top four teams of the tournament, whereas only one third show total confidence in the selection. 

The results also reveal a significant generational gap. Among 18-24 year olds, 29% think Portugal will win the competition, which is more than double the 13% recorded among people aged 55 and over. For the youngest, reaching the semi-finals seems to be more of an obvious fact than an ambition, since 73% predict a place in the last four at least. 

When asked about the most influential player in the team, female respondents place Cristiano Ronaldo at the top with 32% of votes, while men designate Vitinha as the key player with 29%. 

The survey also challenges certain received ideas about football, often considered a mainly male universe. 39% of women surveyed state that they will only follow Portugal's matches, compared to 28% of men. Similarly, 45% of women indicate that their main motivation for following the World Cup is to support the national team, compared to 41% of men. 

Finally, if Portugal were not to win the trophy, Portuguese supporters already have their backup favourites. In the event of the Seleção's elimination, they would like to see Brazil (24%), Spain (18%) or Argentina (5%) crowned. 

About the study: 

The Betclic World Cup 2026 Barometer is a quantitative study conducted on a nationally representative sample of 1,000 Portuguese aged 18 and over, broken down by gender, age (18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54 and 55 and over) and region (North, Centre, Lisbon, Alentejo, Algarve, Azores and Madeira). The data were weighted to ensure national representativeness. The fieldwork was carried out between May and June 2026.