Ronaldo Named to Record-Setting Sixth World Cup Squad for Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo is preparing for the sixth World Cup of his career. The 41-year-old captain was included on Tuesday in Portugal's 26-man squad announced by the federation, extending his record as the only player in men's international football to have been picked for six tournaments. The previous co-holders were Mexico goalkeeper Antonio Carbajal and Argentina's Lionel Messi, both of whom played in five.
Ronaldo's first World Cup was Germany 2006, when he was a 21-year-old winger. He arrives at the 2026 tournament as the most globally recognised forward in the squad and as captain. His career has included a total of 134 official goals for Portugal as of late March, a figure confirmed by FIFA's statistical service.
In announcing the squad, head coach Roberto Martínez told reporters that Ronaldo's value goes beyond goals. "Cristiano is in the top three on our fitness tests. His positional impact remains high. There wasn't a decision to be made," he said.
Portugal will open the 2026 World Cup against the United States. The federation confirmed Portugal's group fixtures would be split between Dallas and Atlanta in the tri-host tournament shared by the United States, Mexico and Canada. The squad also includes Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes and the young centre-back António Silva.
Ronaldo's international career has had its turbulence since the quarter-final exit to Morocco at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. There were spells starting from the bench, contract-renewal debates with the federation and questions about his club form at Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia. But his nine goals during qualifying for the new tournament blunted the sharpest of the doubts.
In Martínez's preferred 4-2-3-1, Ronaldo continues to start as the centre-forward. The structure leaves space for younger players — particularly Sporting's Geovany Quenda and Benfica's João Veloso — and bets on the captain's penalty-area movement remaining effective. Federation data shows Ronaldo with a minutes-per-goal ratio of 138, comparable to that of international midfielders under 38.
The squad will gather for end-of-season fitness assessments before moving to an altitude camp in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. From there, two friendlies are planned in Madrid and Lisbon. The fixture calendar is being managed to limit Ronaldo's physical load; the federation said the captain would play more than 75 minutes only in the final three warm-ups.
Ronaldo posted a short video to Instagram after the announcement: "A sixth World Cup — I'm not sure the 12-year-old me dared to imagine that. But I'm the only one who knows each of them has been worth as much as the last." The clip reached 80 million views within 24 hours and became the federation's most engaged-with social media post.
In-tournament, Ronaldo's bookkeeping will run alongside the historical record as well as match-by-match. He currently sits on eight World Cup goals, tied with Pelé; three at this tournament would close in on Miroslav Klose's record of 16. While reaching Klose at 41 is statistically demanding, he will be in range of milestones he is unlikely to ignore.
If Portugal advance, their round-of-16 fixture will be played in Houston. Federation president Fernando Gomes said on Tuesday that the team's target was the semi-finals. "Cristiano may be with us for the last time. But he looks as hungry as he did the first."