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Published on May 19, 2026
Cristiano Ronaldo will start his sixth World Cup at the age of 41 after Portugal coach Roberto Martinez named him in his 27-man squad for the tournament, with a symbolic “inclusion” in memory of the late Diogo Jota.
Speaking at the Cidade do Futebol in front of a packed hall on Tuesday, Martinez confirmed that fourth player Ricardo Velho, of Genclerbirligi Ankara, will travel with the team, but will only be added to the 26-man list if one of the three registered players is injured.
Portugal, who dominate the Champions League, will open their Group K campaign with matches in the United States, Mexico and Canada against the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the 17th in Houston.
They then face Uzbekistan at the same venue on June 23 and finish the group stage against Colombia in Miami on June 27. The tournament runs from June 11 to July 19.
Martinez said his selection consisted of “27 players plus one”, referring to Liverpool player Jota, who died in a car accident in July last year, aged 28.
“He is our strength, our joy,” Martinez said. “Losing Diogo was an unforgettable and difficult moment, but the next day, it was up to all of us to fight for Diogo’s dream and the example he always gives us in our national team. The spirit, energy and example of Diogo Jota is +1 and will always be +1.”
The coach defended his decision to name four goals and five defenders, as he left out the likes of Mateus Fernandes, Ricardo Horta and Pedro Goncalves.
“The difficulty of the competition is very important – the demands of the weather, the time, everything we faced in March,” said Martinez. “There are places where we need to have more than two players in each position. And we need five defenders.”
They showed the versatility of Diogo Dalot, Joao Cancelo and Matheus Nunes, and showed attacking options such as Joao Felix, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and Francisco Trincao who work between the lines, Rafael Leao, Pedro Neto and Francisco Conceicao providing width.
Martinez added that Velho understands his role as a goal scorer, saying that FIFA rules only allow for reimbursement if he is injured during a match.
Portugal are set to face Chile in Oeiras on June 6 and Nigeria in Leiria on June 10. FIFA has said the team should be in their training camp in Palm Beach, Florida five days before their opening game.
Portugal World Cup team
Scorers: Diogo Costa (FC Porto), Jose Sa (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Rui Silva (Sporting CP); Ricardo Velho (Genclerbirligi Ankara);
Protectors: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United); Matheus Nunes (Manchester City), Nelson Semedo (Fenerbahce SK), Joao Cancelo (FC Barcelona), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting CP), Renato Veiga (Villarreal); Ruben Dias (Manchester City); Tomas Araujo (SL Benfica)
Middle players: Ruben Neves (Al Hilal), Samuel Costa (Mallorca), Joao Neves (PSG), Vitinha (PSG), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
Players: Joao Felix (Al Nassr), Francisco Trincao (Sporting CP), Francisco Conceicao (Juventus), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Rafael Leao (AC Milan), Goncalo Guedes (Real Sociedad), Goncalo Ramos (PSG); Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr)
