USA vs Portugal prediction 31.03.2026 | International Friendly

USA have qualified for eight of the past nine World Cups, missing only the one in Russia in 2018. However, they haven't had much success, with their best showing in 2002, when they reached the quarter-finals. For the upcoming World Cup, they qualified as co-hosts and are hoping to make a deep run on home soil, especially since they could have a pretty easy group with Paraguay, Australia, and one more team from the Playoffs. In the past few months, they played only friendlies and were pretty successful. However, those were against non-European teams, and a 5:2 loss in the last game against Belgium is surely a worrying sign. 

After a 5:2 loss to Belgium, coach Mauricio Pochettino spoke to the media. He said it is a difficult and painful result to take. However, the coach said there were positive signs in the match and said they were a better team than Belgium in the first half. The coach added that they have to learn from the match.

Portugal came to the qualifiers after winning the UEFA Nations League. They had a pretty easy group in the World Cup Qualifiers and eventually finished first with 13 points, ahead of Ireland, Hungary, and Armenia. When it comes to the World Cup, Portugal is considered to be one of the favorites to win the title, only behind Spain, England, France, Argentina, and Brazil. 

For the upcoming friendly match, the team is without several key players - Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafael Leao, Nelson Semedo, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, and Diogo Costa. All of them are out with injuries.

After a goalless draw with Mexico, coach Roberto Martínez spoke to the media. He said they had ten shots on goal but lacked accuracy. The coach added that the success or failure in these friendlies isn't just about the score. "After 90 minutes, the team is better prepared for the World Cup," the coach added.