Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed that the 2026 World Cup will be his last for Portugal, speaking on the eve of his nation’s round of 16 clash with Spain. The 41-year-old Al Nassr striker told a press conference on Sunday: “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.” Portugal face Spain on Monday, July 6 in Dallas, Texas, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.
Ronaldo, who made his international debut in 2003, has scored 146 goals in 232 appearances for Portugal – the most prolific striker in the history of the international game. Despite a slow start to the tournament, he became the first man to score in six different World Cups last month, netting a brace in a 5-0 win over Uzbekistan in Group K. That brace also took him to 10 World Cup goals, surpassing the late Eusébio’s national record of nine set in 1966. At 41 years and 138 days old, Ronaldo became the second oldest goalscorer in World Cup history, behind only Cameroon’s Roger Milla (42 years, 39 days). Portugal’s best World Cup finish came in 1966, when they placed third, and Ronaldo’s best effort was a semi-final appearance in 2006, where they lost 1-0 to France before a 3-1 defeat to Germany in the third-place play-off.
“Cristiano Ronaldo confirms 2026 will be his last World Cup for Portugal; Morocco advance after Ounahi goal.”
Meanwhile, Morocco advanced to the round of 16 after Azzedine Ounahi scored the opener against Canada in the last 32 of the tournament. The goal was enough to secure Morocco’s place in the next round, though further details of the match were not available. Ronaldo’s Portugal will hope to avoid an early exit as they aim to better their previous best of fourth place in 2006.