With all the power! Cristiano Ronaldo heads the Portugal squad announced by the coach, the Spanish Roberto Martínez, for the 2026 World Cup, which will be the sixth and last of his career.
Cristiano, 41, is part of a list of 27 players that includes well-known faces such as Vitinha and Bruno Fernandes, and in which the inclusion of Real Sociedad striker Gonçalo Guedes stands out.
In a press conference at the Ciudad del Fútbol complex in Oeiras, in the Lisbon metropolitan area, Martínez highlighted the “flexibility” of Guedes, “who can play on the wings, in the center and open spaces in the counterattack.”
The experienced scorer Cristiano recognized 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 in which he participates.
Despite his age, the former Real 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 whom all 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 forward of the squad, due to his offensive “flexibility”, since “he can play outside, inside and open spaces in the counterattack.”
Regarding Samú Costa, Mallorca midfielder and also on the list, the coach highlighted “his energy and his determination” demonstrated in the last call-up.
«He is an ‘8’, but he is very dynamic. It reaches the area, but in the defensive aspect it 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 said.
In the 2026 World Cup, the Portuguese team will face Colombia, Uzbekistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Group K.
The team led by Martínez will prepare for the World Cup with home games on June 6 and 10 against Chile and Nigeria, respectively.
𝗢 𝟲.º 𝗠𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗹 ✨ O Capitão ©️🇵🇹 ao longo dos anos. 😮💨#VaiDarPortugal | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/3mOAmZDxed
— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) May 19, 2026
Lusitanian power
The Portuguese roster for the next 2026 FIFA World Cup is made up of:
– 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).
– Forwards:
João Félix (Al Nassr, KSA), Francisco Trincão (Sporting, POR), Francisco Conceição (Juventus, ITA), Pedro Neto (Chelsea, ING), Rafael Leão (AC Milan, ITA), Gonçalo Guedes (Real Sociedad, ESP), Gonçalo Ramos (PSG, FRA) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr, KSA).
