- Sixth Time Lucky? Ronaldo Leads Portugal’s World Cup Charge
Cristiano Ronaldo is on the brink of another defining football milestone after being named in Portugal’s squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, placing the 41-year-old forward in line to become the first player to appear at six editions of the tournament.
Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez named a 27-man list on Tuesday, although only 26 players can be formally registered for the tournament. The additional place carries symbolic significance in honour of the late Diogo Jota, while fourth-choice goalkeeper Ricardo Velho will travel with the squad but will only be officially added if an injury occurs among the three selected goalkeepers.
Ronaldo’s inclusion extends one of the most extraordinary international careers in football history. The Portugal captain is already the only player to score in five different World Cups and now has the chance to stand alone as the first man to feature in six. Lionel Messi could also reach the same milestone if selected by Argentina for the tournament.
The Al-Nassr forward remains Portugal’s most-capped player with 226 appearances and the country’s all-time leading scorer with 143 goals. He has played 22 World Cup matches and scored eight goals, leaving him one short of matching the late Eusébio’s national record at the tournament.
Martinez’s squad blends experience with elite European club pedigree as Portugal chase a first World Cup title. Bruno Fernandes has been included after another influential campaign with Manchester United, while Bernardo Silva, Rúben Dias and Matheus Nunes are part of the Manchester City contingent.
Paris Saint-Germain trio Vitinha, João Neves and Nuno Mendes are also in the squad, with the players expected to join up after the UEFA Champions League final on May 30.
João Félix, Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr teammate, also made the final list, while several notable names missed out, including João Palhinha, Ricardo Horta, Pedro Gonçalves and Mateus Fernandes. Reuters also reported that Mateus Fernandes, Ricardo Horta and Pedro Gonçalves were among the omissions from Martinez’s selection.
Portugal will begin their World Cup campaign against DR Congo on June 17 in Houston before facing Uzbekistan and Colombia in Group K. The team is also scheduled to play warm-up matches against Chile and Nigeria before the tournament begins.
For Martinez, the tournament represents another major test at World Cup level. The Spaniard guided Belgium to third place at the 2018 World Cup but suffered a disappointing group-stage exit in Qatar four years later. With Portugal, he now leads one of the most technically gifted squads in the competition, carrying both expectation and the burden of history.
Portugal’s best World Cup finish remains third place in 1966, inspired by Eusébio. Their only other semi-final appearance came in 2006, when they lost to France before being beaten by hosts Germany in the third-place playoff.
For Ronaldo, the 2026 tournament could be the final opportunity to claim the one major trophy missing from his career. For Portugal, it is another chance to convert a generation of talent into the country’s first world title.
At 41, Ronaldo will not arrive as the young phenomenon who announced himself in 2006. But his presence gives Portugal’s campaign a historic frame: one last pursuit of football’s biggest prize by one of the game’s most enduring figures.
