Cristiano Ronaldo is going to a sixth World Cup. No player in history has ever done it. At 41 years old, he's still doing things nobody else has managed.
Portugal confirmed Ronaldo in their 2026 roster, which means he'll line up in Group K against Colombia, Uzbekistan and DR Congo this summer — and almost certainly take his final bow on the sport's biggest stage. He heads into the tournament with 226 caps and 143 international goals, both men's records that he'll extend before this is over.
The supporting cast Ronaldo never had before
Here's what's different this time: Portugal don't need Ronaldo to carry them. For most of his international career, that was the unavoidable truth — a generational talent propping up a squad that wasn't close to his level. That's no longer the case.
Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha and João Neves give Portugal arguably the best midfield at the tournament. Nuno Mendes is among the best left backs in world football. Ronaldo, the man who was once the whole show, is now almost secondary to what Roberto Martínez has built. Whether that stings him or liberates him is a question only he can answer.
Portugal's odds of making a deep run here are legitimate — not hope, but structure. The group is winnable, the squad has balance, and there's no glaring weakness the way there was in previous tournaments.
The Messi subplot and a potential quarterfinal collision
Ronaldo won't be alone in making history. Lionel Messi is also expected to appear in his sixth World Cup with Argentina, joining his rival in the record books at age 38. Guillermo Ochoa makes it a trio of players reaching six tournaments, with the Mexico goalkeeper confirming this will be his last before retirement.
The irony is that Portugal's reward for winning Group K could be a quarterfinal against Argentina — defending champions, still led by Messi, still the most complete squad in the draw. A Ronaldo vs. Messi World Cup quarterfinal at what is almost certainly both men's last tournament would be the kind of storyline that writes itself. Whether either team survives to that point is another matter entirely.
Ronaldo has never won a World Cup. Portugal have never won a World Cup. This is the best squad he's ever had around him. That still might not be enough.
