Ronaldo confirms 2026 World Cup will be his last

Cristiano Ronaldo has stated definitively that the 2026 FIFA World Cup will bring the curtain down on his tournament career.

At 40 years old, the Portugal captain told the Tourise Summit in Riyadh that next year’s event in North America will be “definitely” his last on the sport’s biggest stage.

“Definitely, yes. I will be 41 years old and I think [this] will be the moment in the big competition,” Ronaldo said.

The Al-Nassr forward is the most capped male international footballer ever, having worn the Portugal shirt 225 times. He currently holds the all-time men’s international goalscoring record with 143 goals and has totalled 953 career goals across club and country.

Ronaldo also acknowledged that retirement is not far away, stating, “Let’s be honest, when I mean soon, it’s probably one or two years I’ll still be at the game.”

Though he led Portugal to glory at Euro 2016, the World Cup remains absent from his lengthy list of honours. The tournament in Canada, the United States, and Mexico would be his sixth, further stretching another record.

Portugal, led by coach Roberto Martínez, have a chance to seal qualification for the 2026 finals with a win over the Republic of Ireland on Thursday. Ronaldo continues chasing his long-standing objective of reaching the 1,000-goal mark before stepping away from the pitch.