Welcome to the stretch run of the 2025 MLB season! As we enter September, teams are making their final pushes for the postseason, and some of baseball’s top clubs are already on their way to clinching a playoff berth — potentially as soon as this weekend, in Milwaukee’s case.

In fact, the Brewers are an example of how far a team can go if it kicks into high gear. They have far and away the best record in the majors since the All-Star break, cementing their place atop the standings for a potential No. 1 seed and first-round bye. Boston is another case, as the Red Sox have ridden a 19-12 record since Aug. 1 to vault themselves squarely back into the wild-card race, competing with the rival Yankees for seeding.

Division titles and wild-card berths are still up for grabs, so don’t expect contenders to slow down any time soon — not in a season that seems so wide open once teams get to October.

Our expert panel has ranked every team based on a combination of what we’ve seen so far and what we already knew going into the 162-game marathon that is a full baseball season. We also asked ESPN MLB experts Buster Olney, Jorge Castillo and Bradford Doolittle to weigh in with an observation for all 30 teams.

Week 22 | Second-half preview | Preseason rankings

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Record: 86-54
Previous ranking: 1

The outcome of a postseason that could very well feature the Brewers as the top overall team probably will settle the question of whether this is Milwaukee’s best team ever. Barring a last-month collapse, that appears likely to be true — for the regular season, at least.

The Brewers have twice won 96 games in a season (2011 and 2018), though the latter season featured a tiebreaker win in Game No. 163. So the winning percentage record (.593) is held by that 2011 squad, well off the pace of the current Brew Crew, which boasts a .614 winning percentage. The Brewers are also on target to finish with their best run differential. Though they have had other great regular seasons, none of them have paid off in a championship. — Doolittle

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Record: 80-59
Previous ranking: 4

Nick Castellanos has an 89 OPS+, meaning he has been a below-average hitter this season and one of the worst defensive players in the majors, according to the advanced metrics. He has minus-12 defensive runs saved, which is tied for the fifth worst among all big leaguers this season. Meanwhile, the Phillies have three outfielders playing well right now, in Brandon Marsh (.478 in his past seven games), Max Kepler (.288/.333/.519 in his past 14 games) and Harrison Bader (.447 in his past 11 games). As manager Rob Thomson focuses on winning late-season games, a tough conversation with Castellanos might be forthcoming. — Olney

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Record: 78-61
Previous ranking: 2

You’d think a $400 million payroll would buy you more pitching certainty than what the Dodgers have, but here we are. L.A. will finish the season with only two pitchers accumulating more than 100 innings — Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Clayton Kershaw — and will go into the postseason with a lot of staff questions. Once the Dodgers reach the postseason, manager Dave Roberts (and the front office) will have to decide who in the rotation starts, and who might better serve the team coming out of the bullpen. — Olney

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Record: 80-60
Previous ranking: 6

Kyle Tucker‘s second-half swoon appears to have swooned, just in time for the free-agent-to-be to fuel one last Cubs push for the NL Central title. Tucker performed like an MVP for the first half of the season, putting up a .931 OPS with 17 homers and 20 steals. Then, as the glitz began to wear off on the Cubs’ breakout season, Tucker’s OPS fell all the way to .815 by Aug. 21 thanks to a .549 mark over 39 games. Whether it was a slump, injuries or both, Tucker was struggling. No more. Since Aug. 22, he has hit .400/.489/.800 over 11 games, during which the Cubs have gone 7-4. He’s back. — Doolittle

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Record: 81-60
Previous ranking: 3

With a month to go in the season, 24-year-old Riley Greene has already surpassed the 30-homer and 100-RBI marks, putting him in rarified air in Tigers history. Only three other young Tigers sluggers have hit those marks at age 24 or younger: Jason Thompson (age 22, 1977), Rudy York (twice, ages 23 and 24, 1937 and 1938) and Hank Greenberg (age 24, 1935). It’ll take a big last month, but if Greene can manage eight more homers, he’d become the youngest Tiger to hit 40. Cecil Fielder (51 homers in 1990) and Greenberg (40 in 1937) were both 26 when they did it. — Doolittle

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Record: 81-59
Previous ranking: 5

The Blue Jays’ rotation is full, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for top prospect Trey Yesavage on the staff. The right-hander tossed three scoreless innings for Triple-A Buffalo in his professional relief debut Tuesday — an indication that Toronto is considering using him as a reliever down the stretch and perhaps into October. Yesavage was drafted in the first round out of East Carolina just a year ago and began this season in Single-A. He could end the year by becoming a difference-maker at the highest level. — Castillo

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Record: 77-62
Previous ranking: 9

Manager Aaron Boone keeps repeating it’s a matter of when, not if, Aaron Judge will return to right field this season. But the “when” remains a question — as is how often Judge will play there and how his elbow injury will affect his throwing ability. Having Judge return to right field is a risk the Yankees would prefer not to take. At best, teams will challenge his willingness to unleash max-effort throws. At worst, he aggravates the injury and faces a long absence into 2026.

The Yankees would prefer Judge remain as their designated hitter, but the team is best optimized with both Judge and Giancarlo Stanton in the lineup. And Stanton, at this point in his career, can’t play outfield every day. It’s a tricky situation the Yankees must navigate. — Castillo

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Record: 78-63
Previous ranking: 8

The Red Sox know their top three starters: Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito make for a formidable trio. But after that, the rotation remains unclear. Dustin May, their fourth starter, has been inconsistent. In the fifth spot, Walker Buehler was released and Richard Fitts landed on the injured list, opening the door for prospect Payton Tolle. The left-hander, one of the best pitchers in the minors this season, was impressive in his debut. Maybe he’s Boston’s No. 4 starter. The Red Sox won’t need one in a wild-card or division series, but they’ll need one if they’re going to make a deep October run. — Castillo

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Record: 76-64
Previous ranking: 7

It’s hard to overstate the impact of Jason Adam‘s injury on the Padres; he has been one of the best relievers in baseball for the past four seasons. In that time, Adam is tied for seventh among all bullpen arms in appearances (262), third in WHIP (0.94), third in opponents’ average (.173) and 14th in fWAR. The best part of the Padres’ roster — their theoretical separator — is their bullpen, and now they’ve lost arguably the best among that group. — Olney

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Record: 75-65
Previous ranking: 12

When Juan Soto went through a performance dip early in the season, manager Carlos Mendoza dismissed the idea that there was any developing problem. Rather, he talked about how talented Soto is and how it was inevitable that he would hit. Mendoza turned out to be very right about that: Soto is on pace to finish the season with more than 40 homers and to reach base more than 250 times. He has been absurdly hot of late.

“Elite hitter, getting results now,” Mendoza wrote in a text Tuesday. “Not missing pitches and using the whole field.” — Olney

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Record: 77-63
Previous ranking: 10

Recent controversy aside, Framber Valdez will be one of the Astros’ top two starters alongside Hunter Brown in their playoff rotation. From there, Houston faces uncertainty. Lance McCullers Jr. — and his nearly 7.00 ERA — was recently moved to the bullpen. Cristian Javier and Luis Garcia both recently returned from Tommy John surgery. Spencer Arrighetti has a 5.35 ERA but has improved in his past two outings. Journeyman Jason Alexander boasts a 3.19 ERA in nine starts since joining the battered rotation. The Astros need two of those four to solidify themselves. — Castillo

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Record: 73-67
Previous ranking: 11

The Mariners are 6-16 on the road since the All-Star break, a dismal record that could cost them a postseason berth. To avoid a collapse, they need to take care of business at T-Mobile Park down the stretch, with 13 of their final 19 games at home. That home slate includes series against three non-playoff foes (Cardinals, Angels and Rockies) and one to finish the regular season against a postseason entrant (Dodgers) that might not have anything on the line by that final weekend. — Castillo

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Record: 72-69
Previous ranking: 15

Somehow, someway, the Rangers are back in the AL wild-card race. They’ve rebounded thanks to the offense, which has been comatose for much of the season, coming alive against inferior opponents. Now comes a season-defining stretch against stiffer competition — consecutive series against the Astros, Brewers, Mets and Astros again — with key absences mounting.

Already without Nathan Eovaldi and Marcus Semien for the rest of the season, Corey Seager, the team’s best hitter, is out indefinitely after undergoing an appendectomy. The Rangers played themselves into playoff contention. The next two weeks will decide whether they have a real shot. — Castillo

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Record: 70-69
Previous ranking: 14

The nature of baseball means that bad teams beat great teams once in a while. In a sample of one game, there really is no such thing as an upset in MLB. The Royals aren’t a great team, but they’re a good one — just good enough to hang in wild-card contention as the season’s final month begins. If Kansas City ultimately misses out on a return to the bracket by a game or two, there are already a number of recent losses that its fans can stew over, blown leads in losses to non-contenders such as the Angels and Nationals and contenders such as the Tigers. In the AL, only the Orioles, Angels and White Sox have lost more games they once led than the Royals’ 33. — Doolittle

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Record: 70-70
Previous ranking: 13

What looked to be a budding playoff push for Cincinnati has fizzled over the past couple of weeks. After reaching a season-high seven games over .500 on Aug. 19, the Reds were one game back of the flagging Mets in the wild-card chase. Cincinnati has since dropped 10 of 13, dropping five games back of New York and falling into a cluster of .500-ish teams with San Francisco, Arizona and St. Louis. It’s been an ill-timed, all-around slump. During that stretch, Cincinnati ranked near the bottom of the majors in runs per game and runs allowed per game. — Doolittle

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Record: 70-69
Previous ranking: 16

Just when the Rays appeared headed for a second straight season without October baseball, they mounted a winning streak long enough to crash the wild-card picture again. Reaching the playoffs remains unlikely — it’s calculated at a little more than 7% — but wilder things have happened.

Regardless, getting Carson Williams acclimated and going over the final month could pay dividends for this season and beyond. The shortstop debuted last month as one of the sport’s top prospects. He’s off to a slow start, but the Rays’ decision to waive Ha-Seong Kim ensures he’ll receive regular playing time in September. With third baseman Junior Caminero exploding for a 40-home run season, the future is bright for the left side of the Rays’ infield. –– Castillo

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Record: 71-69
Previous ranking: 20

This season — and how it has played out — is one that Rafael Devers could never have imagined. But at the very least, he knows where he’ll be next year, and he’s finishing this season with a burst of offense — over his past 28 games, Devers has 11 homers and a .296/.402/.630 slashline. He’ll have an entire offseason to prepare for what is likely to be an inevitable shift to first base, given the presence of Matt Chapman at third base for the Giants. — Olney

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Record: 69-69
Previous ranking: 17

The Guardians won’t be getting star closer Emmanuel Clase back any time soon after MLB announced its sports-betting investigation into Clase and starter Luis Ortiz will keep the pair on nondisciplinary leave for an indefinite period. Clase, coming off a third-place AL Cy Young finish in 2024, hasn’t pitched for Cleveland since July 26. Since then, the Guardians’ bullpen has ranked sixth in the majors with a 3.48 ERA and is 9-for-14 in save situations**. It could be worse. — Doolittle

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Record: 70-71
Previous ranking: 18

In comparison to how the situation between Devers and Boston’s front office played out before his trade to the Giants, Ketel Marte has been much more pliable in his damage control with the Diamondbacks — apologizing to teammates for the way he handled his absence right after the All-Star break. Contrary to speculation, some rival officials say they believe Arizona will keep Marte this winter, rather than deal him. — Olney

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Record: 70-71
Previous ranking: 19

St. Louis speedster Victor Scott II is at 2.4 bWAR, putting him in a cluster of Redbirds hitters with a chance to lead the team. His candidacy is based on everything but hitting, a somewhat important category in which his performance has been worth minus-11 runs by Baseball Reference’s formulation. Scott’s career OPS+ of 66 would render him unplayable as a regular if not for his top-of-the-charts fielding and baserunning metrics. He has shown progress with his walk rate, but entering his age-25 season in 2026, it’ll be imperative to show more than that at the plate. — Doolittle

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Record: 65-75
Previous ranking: 21

Throughout the early months of the season, front offices around the majors weren’t exactly sure what Sandy Alcantara might be in August and September, the final months of his first full season after Tommy John surgery. Well, Alcantara is finishing 2025 strong, with only 14 hits and five walks given up over 27 innings in his past four starts, which will undoubtedly fuel interest from other teams in a possible trade this coming offseason. Alcantara is under contract for $17.3 million for next season. — Olney

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Record: 66-73
Previous ranking: 23

The Angels’ aggressive approach with recent top draft picks was immediately effective with Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel, but Christian Moore’s introduction to the majors was rockier. The second baseman, who debuted in June a year after being drafted in the first round of the 2024 draft, was recently demoted to Triple-A with a .195 batting average and .623 OPS in 39 games — production that wasn’t helped by Moore sitting out a month because of a sprained left thumb. Now the Angels hope Moore can get back on track and finish the year strong with opportunity knocking in 2026. — Castillo

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Record: 63-77
Previous ranking: 22

When Atlanta’s Brian Snitker met with the “Sunday Night Baseball” announcers before the game in Philadelphia on Sunday, he said he hadn’t made up his mind about whether he wanted to manage in 2026, a decision that will be his alone. He talked about how much he had missed through the many baseball seasons of his lifetime — for example, he has watched only three innings of his son’s high school baseball career. And Snitker wants to travel. If the 70-year-old skipper retires, he’ll continue to work in the Braves organization as a consultant or special assistant. — Olney

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Record: 64-77
Previous ranking: 25

Rookies this season fall into two buckets: Nick Kurtz and everyone else. The A’s first baseman is putting the finishing touches on one of the greatest rookie campaigns in recent history. Kurtz’s 177 wRC+ is tied with Yordan Alvarez’s first-year output in 2019 for tops among all rookies with at least 350 plate appearances since 2015, and his 1.037 OPS and .636 slugging percentage are second to Alvarez and his .401 on-base percentage third. Kurtz, who has 28 home runs in 96 games, is the overwhelming favorite to become the Athletics’ first Rookie of the Year since Andrew Bailey in 2009. It has taken him less than 18 months to become a franchise cornerstone since being selected No. 4 in the 2024 draft. — Castillo

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Record: 64-76
Previous ranking: 24

The Orioles, long removed from the postseason race and relegated to spoiler, have another month to evaluate which players fit in their plans for 2026. The future is promising with a position player core of Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser, Dylan Beavers and Samuel Basallo.

But what about the other players? Does Adley Rutschman, once entrenched as an Orioles cornerstone, still fit? How about Coby Mayo, Ryan Mountcastle and Jeremiah Jackson? Then there’s the pitching. Tyler Rogers has been one of the best pitchers in baseball since June. He could top a playoff rotation. The Orioles must figure out the rest. — Castillo

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Record: 62-77
Previous ranking: 26

Anyone following the season through the prism of the postseason would have ceased to pay attention to the Twins as soon as they finished offloading half of their roster at the trade deadline. If that’s you, you might want to at least tune back in when Joe Ryan is pitching. With 4.9 bWAR entering September, Ryan is having one of the better pitching seasons in the post-Senators part of Twins franchise history. That 4.9 is already tied for 34th in Minnesota history, but Ryan is on pace for 5.8. That would get him to 24th with the Twins’ highest total since Johan Santana (7.6) in 2006. — Doolittle

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Record: 63-77
Previous ranking: 27

Some scratched their heads over the Pirates’ decision to start phenom Bubba Chandler in the bullpen after his promotion from Triple-A. In fact, the practice of starting a young pitcher off as a long reliever is a time-honored tradition in baseball — or at least it used to be, with Earl Weaver among the advocates of such an approach. Either way, Chandler has sparkled during three four-inning relief outings, finally getting touched up for three runs by the Dodgers on Tuesday. Still, he has a 2.25 ERA, a save and two wins in his first three MLB outings. Not bad for a middle reliever. — Doolittle

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Record: 56-83
Previous ranking: 28

The sequence of the changes made by Washington’s ownership continue to confuse rival executives. Not long before the draft and trade deadline, the Nationals fired GM Mike Rizzo but kept scouting director Danny Haas, who spearheaded the conversation around the team’s No. 1 pick, high school shortstop Eli Willits. Now, Haas has left the organization.

“Changes happen, I get it,” one rival official said. “But it’s the timing that just seems strange. Why not bring in the guy you want before you make those decisions?” — Olney

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Record: 52-88
Previous ranking: 29

It takes a long time to really judge a trade, but the first year after Chicago dealt Garrett Crochet to Boston for Kyle Teel, Chase Meidroth, Wikelman Gonzalez and Braden Montgomery has been encouraging for the White Sox. Crochet (5.0 bWAR) is having a Cy Young-level season for the BoSox. But Teel (1.7 bWAR), Meidroth (1.1) and Gonzalez (0.1, with a 2.03 ERA over 10 outings) are already in the majors. Montgomery, in his first season of professional ball, has reached Double-A and is hitting over .300 for Birmingham. With all of these young players blossoming, it should only get better from here for the ChiSox. — Doolittle

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Record: 39-101
Previous ranking: 30

A lot has gone wrong for the Rockies this season, but it has been an excellent year for Hunter Goodman, who leads Colorado position players in WAR by far, as well as in home runs, runs, RBIs and hits.

The 25-year-old is in his first season as the primary catcher for the Rockies. He has been outstanding putting the first ball in play: 44 hits in 88 at-bats, with 10 homers, two triples and six homers. — Olney

The Conservatives have repeated calls for Angela Rayner to resign after a legal firm she used said it did not provide her with tax advice in a row over underpaid stamp duty.

Party leader Kemi Badenoch said more “damning evidence” had come to light regarding the deputy leader’s tax affairs, which is now subject to an investigation by the prime minister’s independent ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus.

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The Daily Telegraph reported that Verrico & Associates, a conveyancing firm that handled the purchase of her £800,000 flat in Hove, East Sussex, did not in fact give tax or trust advice to Ms Rayner – and that they believed they had been made “scapegoats” in the political row.

Joanna Verrico, the managing director, told The Telegraph: “We acted for Ms Rayner when she purchased the flat in Hove. We did not and never have given tax or trust advice. It’s something we always refer our clients to an accountant or tax expert for.

“The stamp duty for the Hove flat was calculated using HMRC’s own online calculator, based on the figures and the information provided by Ms Rayner. That’s what we used, and it told us we had to pay £30,000 based on the information provided to us. We believe that we did everything correctly and in good faith. Everything was exactly as it should be.

“We probably are being made scapegoats for all this, and I have got the arrows stuck in my back to show it. We are not an inexperienced firm, but we’re not qualified to give advice on trust and tax matters and we advise clients to seek expert advice on these.”

Sky News has approached representatives for Ms Rayner for comment as well Verrico & Associates.

The deputy prime minister, who is also the housing secretary, has been under scrutiny after the newspaper claimed she avoided £40,000 in stamp duty on the flat in Hove by removing her name from the deeds of another property in Greater Manchester.

Ms Rayner said she sold her stake in her family home in Ashton-under-Lyne to a trust that was set up to provide for her teenage son, who has lifelong disabilities – meaning she did not technically own that home when she purchased the one in Hove, and so was not subject to the higher rate of stamp duty that applies to second homes.

On Tuesday Sir Keir Starmer’s deputy claimed she made an honest mistake owing to her “complex” living situation and that lawyers initially advised her she only owed the basic rate of stamp duty for the Hove property.

In an interview with Sky News’ Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Ms Rayner became tearful as she claimed she received incorrect tax advice and spoke to her family about “packing it all in”.

However, following subsequent media reports, Ms Rayner sought further legal advice on Monday this week which advised her that the higher rate of stamp duty was in fact due on her East Sussex flat.

The deputy prime minister has claimed she made an honest mistake as lawyers initially advised her she only owed the basic rate of stamp duty when she bought a flat in Hove in May.

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On the statement from Verrico & Associates, Ms Badenoch said: “This is yet more damning evidence that Angela Rayner has not been honest with the British public.

“From the start we’ve had nothing but excuses, deflections and lies. Enough is enough.

“How many final straws can there be for Angela Rayner? She must resign or Keir Starmer must finally find the backbone to sack her.”

Sir Keir Starmer has so far said he would not be drawn on Ms Rayner’s political future, but said he would “of course” act on the findings of Sir Laurie who will look into whether she broke ministerial rules.

In an interview with the BBC, Sir Keir said: “There’s a clear procedure. I strengthened that procedure. I am expecting a result pretty quickly.

“I do want it to be comprehensive … and then of course I will act on whatever the report is that’s put in front of me.”

Portuguese authorities have declared three days of mourning after Lisbon’s iconic Gloria funicular crashed, killing 16 people and injuring 23.

One of the carriages on the railway derailed and crashed during evening rush hour on Wednesday.

Emergency services arrived at the scene within minutes to rescue people from the wreckage. Foreign tourists were among the injured and the dead.

Of the 16 fatalities, five were Portuguese, two Korean and one Swiss. The identities of the other eight have not been made public yet.

Here is what we know so far.

What happened?

The Gloria funicular, a national monument hugely popular with tourists, was operating as usual between Restauradores Square in downtown Lisbon and the Bairro Alto neighbourhood on Wednesday evening.

The journey is just 265m (870ft) and takes three minutes but operates up a steep hill, with two carriages travelling in opposite directions.

At around 6pm, the top car reportedly hurtled down the hill before leaving the tracks and crashing into a building 30m (98ft) from the bottom of the line.

According to the people who were in the bottom carriage, a few metres into their ascent, it started going backwards. When they saw the other car speeding towards them, they jumped through the windows to escape.

Swiss tourist Rasha Abdul told Sky’s Europe correspondent Alistair Bunkall her husband escaped first, allowing her to pass their three-year-old son to him before she got out and the top car crashed just metres from them.

“We were afraid it would crash with us – the fact that it crashed there [on the corner] rescued us,” she said. “When I went out, everything was dusty and blurry.”

What caused it to derail?

It is not clear what caused the funicular to malfunction and derail. Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said the public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation.

The New York Times reported the Lisbon Firefighters Regiment saying it happened as a result of a “cable that came loose”. But officials have refused to be drawn on witness speculation that the funicular’s brakes were faulty.

The leader of the Fectrans union claims workers had expressed concerns about problems with the railway’s haulage cable tension that made braking difficult.

According to Carris, the company that operates it, appropriate scheduled maintenance had been carried out.

Engineer Dave Cooper told Sky News local investigators need to establish why the two carriages “parted company”.

“The very fact that you can see both cars in the same news shot tells you there’s something wrong because while one is at the bottom, the other should be at the top,” the chairman of the British Standards Committee for Cableways told presenter Gareth Barlow.

He said the two cars may have become detached because of a fault with the cables or the point they connect to the carriages.

Describing what likely happened, he added: “That top car has lost suspension. Then what appears to have happened is it comes careering down the hill and goes quite a distance to get to where it’s got to.

“It comes to a bend and the rails want it to go around that bend but it careers away and strikes the building.”

The situation will have likely been made worse by the fact that the carriage was at full capacity – weighing up to 14 tonnes in total, Mr Cooper said.

Who are the victims?

On Thursday, Portugal’s civil protection authority said 16 people died in the crash and 23 were injured.

All of those killed were adults – eight women and seven men, it said. The details of a further victim who died of their injuries in hospital on Thursday morning have not been revealed.

Originally, 17 people were reported dead but this was revised down on Thursday afternoon after officials identified they had duplicated the case of the victim who died in hospital.

Only one of the dead has been named so far – Andre Marques – a brakeman who transport workers’ union SITRA said died on Wednesday as a result of the crash.

Five of the fatalities were Portuguese, two Korean and one Swiss. The identities of the other eight have not been made public yet.

Local media is reporting that four of those killed worked for Portugal’s biggest charity Misericordia de Lisboa Santa Casa, whose officers are near the funicular.

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Those injured include 12 women and seven men between the ages of 25 and 65 and a three-year-old child, the Civil Protection authority said.

The nationalities of 15 of the injured have been revealed and include three people from Portugal, two from Germany, one from Spain, one from South Korea, one from Cape Verde, one from Canada, one from Italy, one from France, one from Switzerland, and one from Morocco.

According to CNN Portugal, the two from Germany were the three-year-old boy and his mother, who were both pulled from the wreckage.

The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it is “aware of the incident” and “in touch with the local authorities”.

“We stand by to provide consular assistance if there are any affected British nationals,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

What have officials said so far?

Lisbon’s mayor, Mr Moedas, declared three days of mourning in the city, with Thursday also declared a day of national grief.

Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, he said Lisbon “needs answers” and that people expect “accountability and responsibility”.

He said all funiculars in the city will remain closed until an investigation concludes.

Portugal’s Prime Minister Luis Montenegro paid tribute to the victims. “Today is a day of pain. No words are sufficient to heal your loss and to fill the void that has been left behind by those who have departed,” he said.

The country’s Institute of Forensic Medicine is working “swiftly” on autopsies so that the bodies of the victims can be returned to their families, Mr Montenegro added.

He said that Portuguese authorities are in touch with the families of foreign nationals killed.

The Pope sent his “heartfelt condolences” and “spiritual closeness” to those impacted by the crash, while UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said his thoughts were with the victims and their families.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said he was “deeply saddened” by the incident, and United Nations director-general Antonio Guterres said his “full solidarity” was with the people of Lisbon.

President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen posted on X: “It is with sadness that I learned of the derailment of the famous ‘Elevador da Gloria’. My condolences to the families of the victims.”

Portugal’s defence minister Nuno Melo said: “The accident in Lisbon with the Gloria elevator was a tragedy that caused strong commotion and consternation in Portugal and in the world… I express all my solidarity and offer heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.”