Cristiano Ronaldo to lead Portugal in 2026 FIFA World Cup
Legendary footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has been confirmed to lead the Portugal national football team in the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Legendary footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has been confirmed to lead the Portugal national football team in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Ronaldo, the highest goal scorer in international football, is at the cusp of leading Al Nassr FC to victory in the Saudi Pro League 2025/26, the Saudi football club’s first since 2018/19.
Portugal announced its squad for the 2026 Football World Club Tuesday, confirming the five-time Ballon d'Or winner as the Skipper of its national football team.
Ronaldo, who has scored a total of 972 goals so far, is eying his dream target of 1,000 goals – a milestone not reached by anyone in the world so far.
Ronaldo has so far represented Potugal in a record five times, and the 2026 Football World Cup will be CR7's 6th appearance in the mega tournament.
Portugal Squad for 2026 FIFA World Cup
Portugal Tuesday announced a 27-member squad for the 2026 Football World Cup. They are:
Team Manager
- Roberto Martinez
Goalkeepers
- Diogo Costa (Porto, age 26, 42 caps) — First-choice keeper.
- José Sá (Wolves, age 33).
- Rui Silva (Sporting CP, age 32).
- Ricardo Velho (on loan at Gençlerbirliği, age 27).
Defenders
- Tomás Araújo (Benfica, age 24).
- João Cancelo (Al Hilal, on loan at Barcelona, age 31).
- Diogo Dalot (Manchester United, age 27).
- Rúben Dias (Manchester City, age 29) — Key leader at the back.
- Gonçalo Inácio (Sporting CP, age 24).
- Nuno Mendes (PSG, age 23) — One of the world's best left-backs.
- Matheus Nunes (Manchester City, age 27) — Versatile, can play right-back.
- Nelson Semedo (Fenerbahçe, age 32).
- Renato Veiga (Villarreal, age 22).
Midfielders
- Samú Costa (Mallorca, age 25).
- Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United, age 31) — Captain and creative leader.
- João Neves (PSG, age 21).
- Rúben Neves (Al Hilal, age 29).
- Bernardo Silva (Manchester City, age 31).
- Vitinha (PSG, age 26).
Forwards
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr, age 41, 226 caps)
- Francisco Conceição (Juventus, age 23).
- João Félix (Al Nassr, age 26).
- Gonçalo Guedes (Real Sociedad, age 29).
- Rafael Leão (AC Milan, age 26).
- Pedro Neto (Chelsea, age 26).
- Gonçalo Ramos (PSG, age 24).
- Francisco Trincão (Sporting CP, age 26)
Portugal 2026 FIFA World Cup Matches
Portugal has been placed is in Group K of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, alongside Colombia, Uzbekistan, and DR Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo).
Portugal will play their first game on June 17 against the DRC in Houston, Texas. Their next fixture will be against Uzbekistan at the same venue on June 23. The squad will play their final group fixture against Colombia on June 27 at Florida's Miami Gardens.
The 2026 edition of the World Cup will be the first to feature 48 teams and three host countries. The United States will have 11 of the 16 hosts cities at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will also feature matches in Mexico and Canada.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be inaugurated on June 11, 2026 whereas the 2026 Football World Cup Final will be played on July 19, 2026.
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