Cristiano leads Portugal’s squad for what will be his last World Cup
Oeiras, Portugal, May 19 (EFE)
Cristiano Ronaldo headlines Portugal’s squad announced Tuesday by head coach Roberto Martínez for the 2026 World Cup, which will be the sixth and final tournament of his career. The 41-year-old Ronaldo is part of a 27-man roster that includes familiar faces like Vitinha and Bruno Fernandes, and notably features Real Sociedad forward Gonçalo Guedes.
At a press conference at the City of Football complex in Oeiras, in the Lisbon metropolitan area, Martínez highlighted Guedes’ “flexibility,” noting that he “can play on the wings, through the middle, and create space on the counter-attack.”
Last November, during a summit in Saudi Arabia, where he plays for Al Nassr, Ronaldo acknowledged that, at 41, the World Cup in Mexico, the United States, and Canada will be his last.
Despite his age, the former Real Madrid striker still possesses the necessary competitiveness to be part of the national team, where he has been exemplary, stated Martínez, who expects the same level of responsibility and example within the locker room from him at this World Cup.
“When we talk about Cristiano, there are two players. The icon of world football, about whom all fans worldwide have an opinion and accept what he brings to the game, and then there’s our captain. He faces the same demands as the other players,” asserted the Catalan coach.
Regarding Guedes, Martínez believes he will be the third-choice striker in the squad, due to his offensive versatility, as he can play on the wing, centrally, and create space on the counter-attack.
About Samu Costa, the Mallorca midfielder also on the roster, the coach highlighted his energy and fighting spirit demonstrated in the last call-up.
“He’s a number 8, but he’s very dynamic. He gets forward, but he’s also very important defensively. He fits perfectly with what we need for the World Cup (…) He’s a more defensive midfielder, which I think is very important for this tournament,” he said.
In the 2026 World Cup, Portugal will face Colombia, Uzbekistan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo in Group K.
The team managed by Martínez will prepare for the World Cup with home matches on June 6 and 10 against Chile and Nigeria, respectively.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto, POR), Rui Silva (Sporting, POR), José Sá (Wolverhampton, ENG), Ricardo Velho (Gençlerbirligi, TUR).
Defenders: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United, ING), Matheus Nunes (Manchester City, ING), Nélson Semedo (Fenerbahçe, TUR), João Cancelo (FC Barcelona, ESP), Nuno Mendes (PSG, FRA), Gonçalo Inácio (Sporting, POR), Rúben Dias (Manchester City,ING), Tomás Araújo (Benfica, POR), Renato Veiga (Villarreal, ESP).
Midfielders: Rúben Neves (Al Hilal, KSA), Samú Costa (Mallorca, ESP), João Neves (PSG, FRA), Vitinha (PSG, FRA), Bruno Fernandes (Man. United, ENG), Bernardo Silva (Man. City, ENG).
Forwards: João Félix (Al Nassr, KSA), Francisco Trincão (Sporting, POR), Francisco Conceição (Juventus, ITA), Pedro Neto (Chelsea, ENG), Rafael Leão (AC Milan, ITA), Gonçalo Guedes (Real Sociedad, ESP), Gonçalo Ramos (PSG, FRA) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr, KSA).
