Former Portugal defender Abel Xavier has declared the current Portugal squad to be the strongest the country has ever produced, backing Fernando Santos\u2019s successors to at least reach the semi-finals at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Portugal take on Croatia in the Round of 32 on Friday as the tournament enters its knockout phase.<\/p>\n
Portugal will meet Croatia at 00:00 WAT on Friday, with the game shown live on SuperSport. Xavier expects Cristiano Ronaldo, who is 41, to be in action and believes it could be the decisive chapter of the forward\u2019s World Cup story, with the match widely viewed as his final tournament appearance.<\/p>\n
Speaking to SuperSport, Xavier\u2014who played for Liverpool, Everton and Portugal\u2014said Portugal\u2019s best route to success is the sheer depth and quality available to the coach. In his view, that talent pool gives the team a realistic chance of going deep into the competition, but only if the setup and game plan are correct.<\/p>\n
Xavier also highlighted Ronaldo\u2019s motivation. He noted that while the Portugal captain has already won the UEFA European Championship with his country, he has never lifted the World Cup, and he suggested the global title remains the defining prize of his career.<\/p>\n
Xavier believes the tournament\u2019s expanded 48-team structure has made the World Cup less predictable. He pointed to physical attributes as a key advantage for African nations and to the tactical organisation of Asian teams, including South Korea, as elements that can spark upsets.<\/p>\n
Born in Mozambique, Xavier said his work with SuperSport has helped him reconnect with his roots across the continent. He added that he is hoping Bafana Bafana can recover after a slow start to their campaign and still earn qualification.<\/p>\n
Looking at African football more broadly, Xavier questioned why countries that regularly produce players for Europe\u2019s biggest clubs have not consistently turned that pipeline into stronger national-team performances. He also cited what he sees as a shortage of experienced local coaches leading African sides.<\/p>\n
The Round of 32 match forms part of SuperSport\u2019s coverage of all 104 fixtures at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Former Portugal defender Abel Xavier has declared the current Portugal squad to be the strongest the country has ever produced, backing Fernando Santos\u2019s successors to at least reach the semi-finals at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Portugal take on Croatia in the Round of 32 on Friday as the tournament enters its knockout phase. Portugal\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2514,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Abel Xavier Predicts Portugal Croatia Semis at 2026 WC","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Abel Xavier says Portugal\u2019s squad is the best ever, predicting a 2026 World Cup semi-final run as they face Croatia in the Round o","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n