Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo has announced that the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be his final appearance on football’s biggest stage.
The 40-year-old forward, who has scored a remarkable 953 goals for club and country, made the revelation during an interview at the Tourism Summit in Riyadh. Ronaldo also indicated that he plans to retire from professional football within “one or two years.”
“Definitely, yes,” Ronaldo said when asked if the 2026 tournament—co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States—would be his last World Cup. “I will be 41 years old, and I think this will be the moment in the big competition.”
Currently playing for Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, Ronaldo remains the all-time leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 goals for Portugal. He continues to pursue his personal milestone of reaching 1,000 career goals before retiring.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who has starred for Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus, emphasized that retirement is now on the horizon. “Let’s be honest, when I say soon, it’s probably one or two years I’ll still be at the game,” he said.
Ronaldo famously led Portugal to their first-ever major title at Euro 2016 and has collected nearly every accolade in world football except the World Cup trophy. His announcement signals the start of a farewell chapter for one of the sport’s greatest-ever players.
