Cristiano Ronaldo has announced that the 2026 World Cup will mark his final appearance at FIFA's premier tournament with Portugal. The 41-year-old footballer, who has scored 953 goals for club and country,
plans to retire in the next two years. Ronaldo has participated in five World Cups, with his best performance in 2006 when Portugal reached the semi-finals.
Portugal has already secured a spot in the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico next summer. Ronaldo is on the verge of setting more records. If he scores in this upcoming tournament, he would become the second-oldest player to score a goal in World Cup history, following Roger Milla who was 42 years and 39 days old.
Ronaldo holds the record for scoring in the most different editions of the World Cup, having netted goals in all five tournaments he has played. Should he score in 2026, he would be the first player to score at six World Cups. In an interview with CNN about whether 2026 would be his last World Cup, Ronaldo confirmed: "Definitely, yes. I will be 41 years old, and I think [this] will be the moment in the big competition. "
Throughout his World Cup career, Ronaldo has scored eight goals across 22 matches. This tally is only surpassed by Eusebio's nine goals for Portugal at this prestigious event. His most successful single tournament was seven years ago in Russia when he scored four times as Portugal advanced to the round of 16.
Ronaldo could potentially surpass Lionel Messi's record of playing in 26 World Cup matches if Argentina fails to progress from their group and Portugal reaches the final. This scenario would allow Ronaldo (22) to play more matches than Messi at this global stage.
The former star of Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus recently mentioned that retirement is imminent but clarified it would likely occur within a couple of years. "Let's be honest," Ronaldo stated, "when I mean soon, it's probably one or two years; I'll still be at the game. "
