Portuguese football legend Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed that the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be his final appearance at the tournament.
The 40-year-old, who has scored an astonishing 953 goals for club and country, also revealed that he plans to retire from football within the next one or two years.
The 2026 World Cup, to be jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, will be Ronaldo’s sixth—a record-equalling feat in the competition’s history.
When asked during an interview at the Tourism Summit in Riyadh whether the 2026 World Cup would be his last, Ronaldo replied,
“Absolutely, yes. I’m 41 years old; I think this is the time.”
Currently playing for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo continues to chase the 1,000-goal milestone in his career. He already holds the record as the all-time leading scorer in men’s international football, with 143 goals for Portugal.
The former Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus forward had previously hinted that retirement was near, telling reporters last week he would step away from the game “soon.” On Tuesday, he clarified that this would likely be within the next two years.
“To be honest, when I say soon, I mean I’m only going to be playing for another year or two,” he said.
A five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Ronaldo famously led Portugal to victory at Euro 2016, but a World Cup trophy remains the only major title missing from his illustrious career.
Portugal have not yet secured qualification for the 2026 tournament but will book their place if they defeat Ireland on Thursday.
