Cristiano Ronaldo heads the Portugal squad announced this Tuesday by the coach, the Spanish Roberto Martínez, for the 2026 World Cupwhich will be the sixth and last of his career.
Cristiano, 41, is part of a list of 27 players in which there are familiar faces such as Vitinha or Bruno Fernandesand in which the inclusion of the Actual Sociedad striker stands out, Gonçalo Guedes.
At a press conference at the Ciudad del Fútbol complex in Oeiras, in the Lisbon metropolitan area, Martínez today highlighted the “flexibility” of Guedes, “who can play on the wings, in the center and open spaces on the counterattack.”
Cristiano acknowledged last November, during a summit in Saudi Arabia, where he plays for Al Nassr, that, at 41 years old, The World Cup in Mexico, the United States and Canada will be the last one in which he participates.
Despite his age, the former Actual Madrid forward still has the “competitiveness” necessary to be part of the national team, where he has been “exemplary,” said Martínez, who expects from him “the same level of responsibility and example within the locker room” in this World Cup.
“When we talk about Cristiano, there are two players. The icon of world football, about which all the fans in the world have an opinion and accept what he brings to football, and then there is our captain. He has the same demands as the other players“said the Catalan coach.
As for Guedes, he will be, according to Martínez, the third striker on the squad, due to his offensive “flexibility,” since “he can play outside, inside and open spaces in the counterattack.”
About Samú CostaMallorca midfielder and also on the list, the coach highlighted “his energy and his drive” demonstrated in the last call.
“He is an ‘8’, but he is very dynamic. He gets to the area, but in the defensive aspect he is also very important. He adapts perfectly to what we need for the World Cup (…) “He is a more defensive midfielder, which I think is very important for this tournament.”he opined.
In the 2026 World Cup, Portugal will face Colombia, Uzbekistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the Okay Group.
The team led by Martínez will prepare for the World Cup with home games in the coming days June 6 and 10 against Chile and Nigeria, respectively.
🚨✅️OFFICIAL: About a of the greatest avid gamers uncared for of Portugal squad for the World Cup, As Cristiano Ronaldo gets a call up❌ 🇵🇹 (Tribute to Diogo Jota on the List)
❌ Mateus Fernandes
❌ Joao Palhinha
❌Antonio Silva
❌ Ricardo Horta
❌Joao… survey below pic.twitter.com/AxIt1bH5Wc— United Insider (@Utdnsider) Could presumably moreover 19, 2026
Portugal squad
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto, POR), Rui Silva (Sporting, POR), José Sá (Wolverhampton, ING), Ricardo Velho (Gençlerbirligi, TUR).
Defenses: 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, ING), Bernardo Silva (Man. City, ING).
Fronts: João Félix (Al Nassr, KSA), Francisco Trincão (Sporting, POR), Francisco Conceição (Juventus, ITA), Pedro Neto (Chelsea, ING), Rafael Leão (AC Milan, ITA), Gonçalo Guedes (Actual Sociedad, ESP), Gonçalo Ramos (PSG, FRA) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr, KSA).
Keep reading:
– Scolari explains that Cristiano Ronaldo is not a star like Messi or Ronaldinho
– Cristiano Ronaldo ends up frustrated and leaves before the award ceremony after losing the Asian Champions final
– Who are the top scorers in World Cup history?
– World Cup 2026: everything you need to know about the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada
