Cristiano Ronaldo’s position on participating in the 2026 World Cup with the Portugal national team is still ambiguous, after many calls for his international retirement after his poor performance in Euro 2024.
The Al-Nassr star was unable to score any goal in the Euro, and was limited to an assist in the group stage, in the competition in which Portugal was eliminated from the quarter-finals by France on penalties.
When coach Roberto Martinez was asked about Ronaldo’s future, he did not respond positively or negatively, but only said that the decision would be collective and not individual regarding the Don as well as the other Portuguese legend Pepe.
According to a report from the Manchester Evening News Network, Ronaldo’s principled position is not to retire internationally, and to continue with the Portugal national team and play in the 2026 World Cup scheduled for America, Canada and Mexico.
Ronaldo dreams of concluding his career by winning the cup in light of Portugal’s historic generation, and he believes that even at the age of 41, he can be influential and contribute to his country winning the title for the first time.
Martinez had previously hinted that Ronaldo would continue until the World Cup, but after the Euro things may change, although the principled position and the way the player dealt with his exit from the tournament confirm that he does not intend to retire internationally.
Ronaldo’s contract with Al-Nassr extends until the summer of 2025, and negotiations between him and the Saudi club are advanced for an extension for another year, which means that the 39-year-old’s plan is to generally retire after the 2026 World Cup.
