Roberto Martinez is no longer Portugal's head coach. The Portuguese Football Federation confirmed on Wednesday that his contract has expired and the professional relationship — with him and his entire coaching staff — is formally over.
The FPF's statement left little room for drama: "The Portuguese Football Federation announces that it officially ended its contractual relationship with the National Team Coach, Roberto Martinez, and his coaching staff this Wednesday." Clean, clinical, done.
What comes next for Portugal
Martinez took charge after Fernando Santos was dismissed following the 2022 World Cup. He inherited a squad built around Cristiano Ronaldo and spent his tenure trying to build something functional around that dynamic — not always convincingly. Portugal had the talent to go further in tournaments than they did. That gap between expectation and outcome is what defined the job.
Now the FPF faces a genuinely difficult appointment. Portugal aren't rebuilding — they have elite players at club level across Europe. They need a coach who can actually get results in knockout football, which is exactly where Martinez's tenure ran out of answers.
With World Cup qualifying ahead and a squad that demands a manager capable of making hard decisions in high-pressure moments, whoever steps into this role inherits real pressure from day one. The next Portugal manager market just opened — and it's one worth watching closely if you care about Selecção odds going into the next cycle.
The FPF hasn't announced a successor or a timeline. Martinez is out. The seat is empty.
