“The Nazaretyan Curse”: how the Armenian coach’s words caught up with Portugal in the EURO 2026 final

Portugal’s defeat to Spain (3–5) in the final of the UEFA Futsal EURO 2026 received an unexpected symbolic interpretation. Within the futsal community, more and more people are recalling the high-profile remarks made earlier in the tournament by Armenia national team head coach Ruben Nazaretyan.

At the time, Nazaretyan openly stated that he wanted Portugal to lose the final — and did not hide his reasons.

According to the coach, it was following a complaint from the Portuguese side that the Armenian national team was handed technical defeats in 2024 for fielding naturalized players from Brazil. As Nazaretyan emphasized, that episode placed his team in an extremely difficult position and had a direct impact on its development and results.

“I really want the Portuguese national team not to win the final, because they put us in a very bad situation. They realized that Armenia could cause them serious problems and took a dirty step precisely for that reason,” Nazaretyan said.

The coach recalled that players such as Luan, Joao, Zanotto and Rodriguinho could have played for Armenia, but the team deliberately abandoned questionable schemes and chose the path of strict compliance with the regulations.

Nazaretyan also drew a parallel with the so-called “Benfica curse,” hinting that the Portuguese national team now has one of its own — and, according to him, it “will always work.”

“I will do everything to make sure they do not have victories,” the Armenian head coach stated bluntly.

The roots of the conflict run deeper. Nazaretyan explained that the practice of naturalization was originally adopted from Portugal, but Armenia ultimately chose a different approach. In particular, the team considered inviting Brazilian player Jacaré from Benfica, but faced competition from Portugal, where the player also met the five-year residency requirement. Jacaré’s choice in favor of Armenia became one of the points of tension between the federations.

At the same time, the coach stressed that if all national teams refused to use naturalized legionnaires, Armenia would fully agree to play by such rules. In reality, however, the situation is different — at EURO 2026, Brazilians played for Croatia, the Czech Republic and other teams.

It should be recalled that in 2023 Armenia played in the same group as Portugal in the 2024 World Cup qualifiers and managed to put up a real fight, losing only 5–6. It was after that match that Portugal filed a complaint, after which UEFA changed the naturalization rules.

It is also important to note that after all these proceedings Armenia once again faced complaints, this time from Denmark. Unlike previous cases, however, UEFA closed the case in Armenia’s favor, recognizing the legality of the players’ origins.

After losing 3–4, the Danish national team filed complaints with FIFA and UEFA over the participation of Sanosyan, Aghajanyan, Nevedrov and Khromykh. Armenia presented all the necessary documents and proved their Armenian roots. UEFA closed the case in Armenia’s favor.

And then came the final. Portugal lost to Spain, surrendered the title and brought its championship era to an end. Coincidence or not, within futsal circles a phrase that has already become a tournament meme is being heard more and more often:

“The Ruben Nazaretyan curse has worked.”

And judging by the final result — at a very timely moment.

The Armenian national team participated in the EURO for the first time and managed to reach the quarterfinals from first place in Group B. In the playoffs, Armenia lost to Croatia, who went on to win the bronze medals.