Wow! Ronaldo, past 40, heads to the World Cup again! A remarkable 'sixth consecutive' appearance... Portugal announces its North American squad with a star-studded lineup including Bruno and Vitinha.

*This content was translated by AI.

Cristiano Ronaldo (41, Al-Nassr) has been selected for Portugal's final roster for the 2026 North American World Cup. With this selection, Ronaldo is poised to achieve the unprecedented record of appearing in six consecutive World Cups in football history.

Roberto Martinez, Portugal national team coach, officially announced the final 27-man roster for the North American World Cup on the 20th (Korea time) at Cidade do Futebol in Oeiras, Portugal. Portugal will compete in Group K of the tournament's group stage against Colombia, Uzbekistan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo for a spot in the knockout rounds.

Coach Martinez stated, "We selected players who achieved success in the World Cup qualifiers and the Nations League through a strict and fair process," adding, "Since this is not a stage where victory can be achieved through talent alone, we will approach this tournament with the mindset of 'challengers for the title.'"

The most eye-catching aspect of this roster is undoubtedly Ronaldo. As the all-time record holder for Portugal's senior national team in appearances (226 matches) and goals (143), Ronaldo's participation in this tournament will make him the first male footballer to step onto the World Cup stage six times.

Having participated in five consecutive tournaments from the 2006 Germany World Cup to the 2022 Qatar tournament, scoring a goal in each (totaling 22 matches and 8 goals), Ronaldo now aims to create new history with a sixth consecutive goal appearance in what is effectively his final career tournament. Only six players in World Cup history have appeared in five tournaments and actually played in matches, including Lionel Messi (Argentina) and Lothar Matthäus (Germany).

Coach Martinez assembled the strongest possible squad by calling up key star players including Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Joao Felix (Al-Nassr), Goncalo Ramos, Joao Neves, and Vitinha (all Paris Saint-Germain), as well as Pedro Neto (Chelsea).

Meanwhile, Coach Martinez also left a heartfelt tribute message for Diogo Jota, who passed away in an unexpected traffic accident last July. He said, "We cannot forget the sorrowful moment of losing Jota," and added, "As the eternal '28th member' of the team he so beautifully represented, he will continue to breathe within our hearts throughout this tournament."

▶ GK: Diogo Costa (Porto), Jose Sa (Wolverhampton), Rui Silva (Sporting), Ricardo Velho (Gentilense)

▶ DF: Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Tomas Araujo (Benfica), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Mateus Nunes (Manchester City), Nuno Semedo (Fenerbahce), Joao Cancelo (Barcelona), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting), Renato Veiga (Villarreal)

▶ MF: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal), Samuel Costa (Mallorca), Joao Neves, Vitinha (both PSG)

▶ FW: Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr), Goncalo Ramos (PSG), Joao Felix (Al-Nassr), Francisco Trincao (Sporting), Francisco Conceicao (Juventus), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Rafael Leao (AC Milan), Goncalo Guedes (Real Sociedad)

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.