Portugal Prime Minister Luís Montenegro is in Houston for the national team’s 2026 FIFA World Cup match Tuesday against Uzbekistan.
Montenegro is the latest dignitary to come to Houston to watch the World Cup.
Portugal has one of the most talented rosters in the tournament, highlighted by the 41-year-old legend Cristiano Ronaldo. But the trio of Vitinha, João Neves and Bruno Fernandes headline arguably the best midfield group in the World Cup.
The country has never won a World Cup and is one of the more notable nations to have never done so. It came closest in its first tournament in 1966 when Eusébio led Portugal to a third-place finish. The best finish during Ronaldo’s two-plus decades on the national team came in 2006, his first World Cup, when Portugal finished in fourth place.
Montenegro started his time as prime minister in April 2024. He is also the leader of the Social Democratic Party in the country.
Before the start of the tournament, Montenegro gifted each member of the national team a wristband bearing the name of Diogo Joto, the Portuguese forward who was set to be a key member of the team but died in a car crash last year at 28.
“He let us choose if we wanted to use it or not, during the day or during the match,” Vitinha said earlier in the month about the wristbands, per CNN. We received it with a lot of affection and we chose to use it.”
Tuesday’s match is the fourth of seven that will take place in Houston this June and July, and the second one to feature Portugal.