Cristiano Goes to His Sixth: Portugal Names the 26 for 2026

The Short Version

On May 19, 2026, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) published on its official channels the 26-man squad selected by Roberto Martinez for the 2026 World Cup. Key points: (1) Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr) on the list — sixth World Cup, all-time record; no male player has ever appeared at more than five editions; (2) Portugal’s first major tournament without Diogo Jota since his death in July 2025; (3) Composition: 3 goalkeepers + 1 training reserve (Velho), 9 defenders, 6 midfielders, 8 forwards; (4) Captain: Ronaldo, with Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) as the second axis; (5) Surprises and cuts: João Palhinha, Paulinho, Ricardo Horta, António Silva, Pedro Gonçalves left off; unexpected inclusions Nélson Semedo (5 full-backs in the squad), Samu Costa (rewarded for March friendlies), Gonçalo Guedes; (6) Group K with DR Congo (June 17, NRG Stadium, Houston), Uzbekistan (June 23, Atlanta) and Colombia (June 27, MetLife); (7) Warm-up friendlies: June 6 vs Chile and June 10 (opponent to be confirmed).

Cristiano’s Sixth World Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born on February 5, 1985, in Funchal, on the island of Madeira. When the 2026 World Cup begins on June 11, he will be 41 years and four months old.

His six World Cups:

Twenty years separate the first from the sixth. In that time, Ronaldo won five Ballons d’Or, scored 143 goals for the senior national team, conquered Euro 2016 and two Nations Leagues, lifted the Champions League with Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus. He did not lift a World Cup. It is the only piece missing from the collection of the most decorated player in football history.

Five Ballons d’Or, no World Cup. That is the equation that boards the plane for North America.

Martinez’s Sentence

When Roberto Martinez took over the national team in 2023, after Euro 2024 saw Ronaldo fail to score in five consecutive games, he was asked whether the captain had a place in the new era. The answer entered Portuguese football journalism’s permanent record.

“We manage the Cristiano Ronaldo who plays for the national team trying to make the squad for 2026, not the iconic figure.”

That sentence was repeated in variations over twelve months. In a Reuters interview in Lisbon, four days before today’s announcement, Martinez was more direct: “Age is just a number. Cristiano is judged on current form, on data, training, attitude. And by an elite brain — somebody who has won everything has the hunger of somebody who hasn’t won a trophy yet.”

Fourteen months after the original statement, the captain is called up. But Martinez has signaled two important shifts. First, there are now five substitutions — “it’s almost like we have a starting team and a finishing team.” Second, “all players are in the same space when they play well, they have a better chance of playing.” There’s no promise of starting. There’s a promise of a place.

Without Diogo Jota: The Shadow of an Absence

There is one name absent from the list, and nobody can call it a surprise.

In July 2025, Diogo Jota — Liverpool forward, 28, 49 caps for Portugal, hero of the Nations League semi-final against Germany — died in a road accident in Spain, alongside his brother André Silva, days after his wedding. The news stopped the country.

This is the first major competition Portugal will contest without Jota since his international debut. In 2022, he was a protagonist in Qatar. In 2024, at the Euro, he played through injuries and scored against Czechia. For 2026, he was a guaranteed name in the attack alongside Ronaldo, Leão, and Pedro Neto.

Today’s list does not mention Jota. It doesn’t need to. But his absence is part of the geometry. The attack Martinez assembles — Ronaldo, Leão, Neto, Ramos, Conceição, Trincão, Félix, Guedes — is how Portugal finds its way to continue without the player who should have been one of the central pieces.

Al Jazeera’s analysis notes that the 2026 World Cup will be emotional partly for this reason: “Portugal will compete a year after the tragic death of Diogo Jota.”

The 26, Position by Position

Goalkeepers (3 + 1 reserve): Diogo Costa (Porto), José Sá (Wolverhampton), Rui Silva (Sporting CP), Ricardo Velho (Braga) — training reserve.

Defenders (9): João Cancelo (Al-Hilal), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Rúben Dias (Manchester City), Gonçalo Inácio (Sporting CP), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Renato Veiga (Chelsea), Matheus Nunes (Manchester City), Nélson Semedo (Wolverhampton), Tomás Araújo (Benfica).

Midfielders (6): Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), João Neves (PSG), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Vitinha (PSG), Rúben Neves (Al-Hilal), Samu Costa (Mallorca).

Forwards (8): Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr), Rafael Leão (AC Milan), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Francisco Conceição (Juventus), João Félix (Al-Nassr), Gonçalo Guedes (Real Sociedad), Gonçalo Ramos (PSG), Francisco Trincão (Sporting).

Portuguese journalist Tom Kundert posted an analysis on X that circulated in minutes: “Pretty much Portugal’s expected squad. Players unlucky to miss out: João Palhinha, Paulinho, Ricardo Horta, António Silva, Pedro Gonçalves. Half-surprises: Nélson Semedo (5 full-backs?), Samu Costa (rewarded for strong March friendlies), Gonçalo Guedes.”

The more technical read: Martinez bets on a broad attacking rotation with eight forwards, prefers four center-backs to the five other coaches often take, and balances midfield with six players capable of organizing — from Vitinha to the more defensive Samu Costa.

Bruno Fernandes, the Second Axis

At 31, Bruno Fernandes is in his best Manchester United season as captain. For Portugal, he is the player who takes over when Ronaldo rests, and who sets midfield tempo in build-up.

At Euro 2024, with Ronaldo enduring one of his hardest periods in an international shirt, it was Bruno who kept the team together through penalties against Slovenia. For 2026, Martinez appears to have built a system where the transition between eras happens on the field — Ronaldo as symbolic and finishing reference, Bruno as game manager.

Bernardo Silva (Manchester City) and Vitinha (PSG, 2025 Champions League winner) complete the midfield core. João Neves (PSG, 21) is the youngest name closest to a starting role.

Group K: DR Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia

Portugal drew Group K. Three opponents: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uzbekistan, and Colombia.

The opener against DR Congo in Houston carries a symbolic layer worth noting. The Democratic Republic of the Congo returns to the World Cup for the first time in 52 years — since 1974, when the country was called Zaire. For the Leopards’ captain Chancel Mbemba (Lille), and forward Yoane Wissa (Newcastle), this will be their first World Cup match.

For Ronaldo, it will be his seventh opening. Yes, seventh: he played all of Portugal’s openers across the previous five World Cups, and now adds a seventh in his sixth edition. June 17, 2026, NRG Stadium, Houston, against an opponent who shares with him only the first chapter of Portuguese football geography — Mbemba spent four years from the academy to the first team at FC Porto before leaving for Newcastle, Marseille, and finally Lille.

Uzbekistan are World Cup debutants. Colombia bring the generation of Luis Díaz, Richard Ríos, and Jhon Durán — some of the most valued South American talents of the moment.

Preparation to June 17

The FPF confirmed that the camp opens at Cidade do Futebol in Oeiras on May 25, two days after the Champions League final (Paris Saint-Germain vs Arsenal, May 30). Players involved in the Paris match — Vitinha, João Neves, Gonçalo Ramos, and Nuno Mendes — arrive later.

On June 6, a friendly against Chile. On June 10, a second warm-up against an opponent the FPF has yet to confirm.

On June 12, the flight to the United States. Portugal’s group-stage base will be the Fairmont Mayakoba resort on the Riviera Maya, in Mexico — confirmed by the federation in January.

On June 17, the opener.

Twenty-nine days between today’s announcement and the opening whistle in Houston. For Ronaldo, twenty years since his first World Cup. For Portugal, a seventh consecutive participation.

All That Ronaldo Still Lacks

At 41, Cristiano Ronaldo has:

• 5 Ballons d’Or
• 143 goals for the senior national team, all-time men’s record
• 1 Euro (2016)
• 2 Nations Leagues (2019 and 2025)
• 5 Champions League titles (1 with Manchester United, 4 with Real Madrid)
• 7 league titles (3 England, 2 Spain, 2 Italy)
• 28 goals this season at Al-Nassr

And one gap. He has never gone past a World Cup semi-final — only in 2006, at his debut, age 21. He has scored only one knockout-stage goal in twenty years of the tournament. It is the paradox of the most decorated individual in history without the most coveted team trophy.

On June 17, Cristiano dos Santos Aveiro, from Madeira, plays his seventh opener in six World Cups. At 41. To close the only page he has yet to write.

FAQ

When did Portugal announce its 2026 World Cup squad? May 19, 2026 (Tuesday), early afternoon Lisbon time, via the official channels of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) on X. There was no formal press conference — manager Roberto Martinez will give detailed remarks at the start of camp on May 25.

Is it true Ronaldo plays his sixth World Cup? Yes. At 41, Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the first men’s player in history to compete at six World Cup editions. Previous: 2006 (Germany), 2010 (South Africa), 2014 (Brazil), 2018 (Russia), 2022 (Qatar). Before him, the record of five was shared with Lothar Matthäus, Antonio Carbajal, Rafael Márquez, Andrés Guardado, Gianluigi Buffon, and Lionel Messi.

Why isn’t Diogo Jota on the list? Diogo Jota died in a road accident in Spain in July 2025, along with his brother André Silva. This is Portugal’s first major competition without him since his international debut. He was 28, with 49 caps, and was a certainty in Martinez’s attack for 2026.

What is Martinez’s public criterion for Ronaldo? “Age is just a number. Cristiano is judged on current form, on data, training, attitude.” Martinez insists there’s no promise of starting — only a place. With five substitutions, there is “a starting team and a finishing team.” Ronaldo may come on as impact.

Who was left off? João Palhinha (Bayern Munich), Paulinho (Toulouse), Ricardo Horta (Braga), António Silva (Benfica), and Pedro Gonçalves (Sporting CP). Half-surprises by inclusion: Nélson Semedo (5 full-backs in the squad), Samu Costa (rewarded for March friendlies), Gonçalo Guedes (Real Sociedad).

Who is Portugal’s captain? Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr), with Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) as second captain de facto. Bruno led the team in several Euro 2024 moments when Ronaldo struggled.

What’s Portugal’s group? Group K, with DR Congo (opener June 17 in Houston, NRG Stadium), Uzbekistan (June 23 in Atlanta, Mercedes-Benz Stadium), and Colombia (June 27 in East Rutherford, MetLife Stadium).

Where is Portugal’s base? Fairmont Mayakoba resort on the Riviera Maya, Mexico. Confirmed by the FPF in January.

When does the camp begin? May 25 at Cidade do Futebol in Oeiras. Players in the Champions League final (Paris Saint-Germain vs Arsenal, May 30) arrive later.

What about pre-tournament friendlies? June 6 vs Chile; June 10 vs opponent yet to be confirmed.

How many goals does Ronaldo have for the national team? 143 goals in 219 caps — the all-time men’s record. This season at Al-Nassr he has added 28 goals.

What trophies does Ronaldo still lack? Only one: the World Cup. He has 5 Ballons d’Or, Euro 2016, two Nations Leagues, five Champions League titles, seven national league titles.

Is this really Ronaldo’s last World Cup? Ronaldo has never confirmed explicitly. But at 41 today and 45 in 2030, it’s practically certain. He himself admitted in recent interviews that this is “the last chance” to close the collection.