Cristiano Ronaldo confirms 2026 World Cup is his last with Portugal | Football | Sport

Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that he is competing in his final World Cup with Portugal. The 41-year-old is deep into the latter stages of his career, with numerous supporters questioning whether he would try to reach the 2030 edition of the sport’s most coveted tournament.

Nevertheless, the Al Nassr forward has now made clear that 2026 will mark his last appearance on the global stage for his country. Speaking at a press conference on Sunday — ahead of Portugal’s round of 16 clash with Spain — Ronaldo said: “I want to enjoy it as much as possible, because it will be my last World Cup, yes. But I hope that tomorrow won’t be my last game in the World Cup.”

It marks a sombre moment for football fans across the globe, who have witnessed Ronaldo turn out for his country since making his debut in 2003. Since that point, he has amassed 146 goals in 232 outings for Portugal – making him the most prolific goal-scorer in international football history.

Despite facing criticism from certain quarters following a sluggish opening to the tournament, Ronaldo broke a long-standing record last month when he became the first player to find the net in six separate World Cup tournaments. The legendary figure netted twice against Uzbekistan as Portugal secured a commanding 5-0 triumph in the Group K fixture.

He also reached the 10-goal milestone in World Cup fixtures, eclipsing the late Eusebio’s national record of nine, which the Portuguese legend had set back in 1966. At 41 years and 138 days old, Ronaldo also climbed into second position amongst the oldest players to have scored in the competition — surpassed only by Cameroon’s Roger Milla, who was 42 years and 39 days old when he netted his final World Cup goal.

Portugal are currently preparing for a round of 16 encounter with Spain on Monday, 6th July in Dallas, Texas. The nation has yet to reach the tournament final, with their finest achievement being a third-place finish in 1966.

On that occasion, they were beaten by eventual champions England, yet managed to defeat the then Soviet Union 2-1 in a third-place play-off at Wembley. Ronaldo’s greatest tournament campaign with his country, meanwhile, came in Germany in 2006.

Despite managing just a single goal during that tournament – in a 2-0 group stage victory over Iran – Portugal advanced all the way to the semi-finals, where they were agonisingly eliminated by France 1-0. They also suffered a 3-1 defeat to tournament hosts Germany in the third-place play-off in Stuttgart, finishing fourth overall for their efforts.

Despite having claimed virtually every other honour that club and international football has to offer, the coveted World Cup trophy remains the one glaring omission from Ronaldo’s remarkable collection. Whether he will ultimately claim that accolade later this month remains uncertain, with Portugal facing formidable opposition should they harbour ambitions of lifting the trophy.

Victory against Spain will secure the nation’s progression to the quarter-finals where they will meet either tournament co-hosts USA or Belgium, depending on the result of their encounter on Tuesday.

A prosperous path to the final then hinges on Portugal overcoming either France or Morocco in the semi-finals. And positioned on the opposite side of the draw, each battling for their own spot in the final, are Brazil, Norway, Mexico, England, Argentina, Egypt, Switzerland and Colombia.