Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed that FIFA World Cup 2026 will be his last World Cup. Speaking to the press ahead of Portugal’s Round of 16 match against Spain, Ronaldo was asked about his international future. Responding to that, he declared that this is his last World Cup. Ronaldo, 41, is playing his sixth World Cup in the ongoing edition, in which he has scored three goals, including his very first in the knockout stage. Overall, Ronaldo has scored 11 World Cup goals in his career.
“I want to enjoy it as much as possible, because it will be my last World Cup, yes. But I hope that tomorrow won’t be my last game in the World Cup,” Ronaldo said, as per OneFootball.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who has started all four of Portugal’s matches at the tournament and scored three goals, also dismissed repeated questions about retirement, insisting his focus remains solely on helping the national team.
“I’m always committed, body and soul, to helping the National Team. Whether I’m playing or not, I’ll always have an important role,” he continued.
“I’ll finish [retire] when I want to, not when you want me to. It’s a waste of time to keep asking that question. But I don’t want to draw attention to that. The most important thing is tomorrow,” he added.
Despite acknowledging that this will be his final World Cup, Ronaldo made it clear Portugal have arrived with ambitions of lifting the trophy.
“If we didn’t have the idea that we could win the World Cup, we wouldn’t be here. It’s been a beautiful experience. We’ve improved game by game,” he said.
“We know it’s a competition where it’s impossible to play well in every game, and it’s not easy for anyone; just look at who’s already been eliminated. I see the team as calm; we’ve trained well, we’ve prepared well,” said Ronaldo.
(With ANI Inputs)
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