FIFA World Cup 2026: Cristiano Ronaldo set for his last appearance with Portugal against Spain? Here’s what he said

The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus forward has appeared 232 times for Portugal, scoring a remarkable 146 international goals

Published: July 6, 2026, 4:44 PM IST

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Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal attends a press conference ahead of the round of 16 match between Portugal and Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Dallas, the United States, on July 5, 2026. (Xinhua via IANS)

Portugal’s star striker and all-time leading goal scorer Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed that the on-going 2026 FIFA World Cup edition will be his last ever appearance at the quadrennial competition no matter what happens with the 2016 UEFA Euro champions in the remainder of the 2025 tournament across the United States of America, Mexico and Canada.

The Portuguese unit is slated to face Spain in their Round of 32 fixture on July 7 at the Dallas Stadium from 12:30AM (IST) onwards. This is a do-or-die game for both the nations at the FIFA World Cup 2026  but the pressure is specifically on Portugal to do everything possible in order to help Cristiano Ronaldo become a world champion at last.

The closest Cristiano Ronaldo has reached is the semi-finals of the 2006 edition in Germany where Portugal could have been the Bronze medallists but they ended up losing to the host nation in the 3rd place play-off match.

Since then, Portugal has never reached the semis but they got extremely closer to that in the last edition at Qatar, however, they were eventually beaten by Morocco in the quarter-final. Cristiano Ronaldo was reduced to tears after suffering that loss and now, in his 6th appearance at the World Cup, he will be hoping to go all the way.

But in order to do that, Portugal will have to beat nations like Spain USA/Belgium and France/Morocco on their way to the final.

On the eve of the European Selecao’s quarter-final meeting against La Roja, Cristiano Ronaldo confirmed that this will be his last appearance at the World Cup but remained hopeful that it won’t be his last in the 2026 edition.

“This will be my last World Cup, but let’s hope tomorrow isn’t my last game,” Ronaldo told reporters during the pre-match press conference.

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Cristiano then spoke on what he feels about his 2026 World Cup campaign so far, stating that he has had a good one so far, scoring three goals but he expressed his hunger for more. “I don’t think I have had a bad World Cup. I have already scored three goals. Let’s see if I can score another tomorrow,” Ronaldo added.

When asked about his international retirement, Cristiano Ronaldo said the decision would be his alone.

“Whether I am playing or not, I will always have an important role with this national team. I will finish when I decide to finish, as I said years ago. To be honest, whatever happens tomorrow, I will leave with a clear conscience, not 100%, but 1000%. Because I’ve given everything in football,” he added.

The 41-year-old scored a brace against Uzbekistan in the 2nd match of the group stage and converted a penalty against Croatia in the Round of 32, which was actually his first-ever World Cup knockout goal. Cristiano Ronaldo is also the only player to score in 6 consecutive World Cups since his debut in Germany in 2006 with a total of 11 goals to his name.

The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus forward has appeared 232 times for Portugal, scoring a remarkable 146 international goals, the highest ever by any player. He captained his country to its first major title at Euro 2016 and later lifted the UEFA Nations League trophies in 2019 and 2025.

Overall in his career, Ronaldo is up to 976 goals with club and country and is chasing down the 1,000 mark.