Portuguese manager Jorge Jesus is set to take over as the new manager of the Portuguese national team following their exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Jorge has a long managerial career, spanning 36 years. The 71-year-old, for almost the entirety of his career, has managed Portuguese clubs. He is a three-time Primeira Liga winner with Benfica. He also had stints in Turkey and Brazil, where he won the national leagues with Fenerbahçe and Flamengo, respectively.
However, Jesus’s most relevant job as a manager to this story is his most recent job as the manager of Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. Yes, he has spent the last 12 months managing Cristiano Ronaldo on the club level.
New Portugal Manager Jorge Jesus
Spanish manager Roberto Martínez was Portugal’s most recent boss. He has been managing the national team since 2023 and has led them to the 2025-26 title. Before managing Portugal’s golden generation, he led Belgium’s golden generation in several international competitions from 2016 to 2022.
Martínez’s contract with Portugal was about to end after the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and with their quick exit from the competition, nobody expected him to keep his job. He was let go of his duties on Wednesday, July 8.
Following Martínez’s firing, Portugal Football Federation (FPF) president Pedro Proença stated that the new manager would be someone who would identify with the team and its players.
“The coach must be someone who knows Portuguese soccer well and identifies with the winning mindset of the federation and the national team. There are several possibilities. I will handle this matter myself. I hope we’ll have concrete news by the end of the week,” he said.
And the man for the job was Jorge Jesus, who was already a Saudi Pro League champion with Al-Hilal before joining Al-Nassr. And in his first season with Cristiano Ronaldo’s team, he led them to their first SPL title in eight years.
While Jorge has not announced his support staff, reports suggest that Portugal legend Pepe, who played with Ronaldo in the national team and at Real Madrid, will be joining his staff as an assistant coach.
Portugal has departed from the ongoing FIFA World Cup, currently being played in North America. Despite a very strong team, they only managed to make it to the round of 16. In the group stage, they finished second in their group, sending them down a tough knockout path.
In the round of 32, they faced a tough Croatia side, sneaking past them with a 2-1 result. Then, in the round of 16, they faced one of the favourites to win it all, Spain. And after a match in which Spain dominated, a 1-0 defeat for Portugal looked better on paper than how the game went.
And now, new Portugal manager Jorge JEsus will lead the team, filled with start, into the next Nations LEague, the 2026 Euros, and likely the 2030 World Cup.
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