Portugal and the 2026 World Cup: fixtures, probable squad and the Ronaldo factor | OneFootball

Portugal will head into their 2026 World Cup qualifiers as the favourites to finish top of the group and secure automatic progression to the tournament.

After being drawn in Group F alongside Hungary, Republic of Ireland and Armenia, Portugal are bidding to secure a seventh consecutive appearance at the World Cup.

While the runners-up in the group will have the chance to qualify via the play-off route, Portugal will be eager to avoid navigating their way through that process.

With that in mind, read on as we look at their upcoming qualification fixtures and potential World Cup squad, before assessing Cristiano Ronaldo’s hotly disputed role.

Portugal – World Cup Qualifying Group F Fixtures

Portugal – Possible 2026 World Cup Squad

If Roberto Martínez was selecting the national team squad for USA 2026 today, the group would likely be as follows. It is pointed out that Martínez leading the Seleção in the tournament is not a given, with increasing speculation in Portugal that new Football Federation head Pedro Proença is lining up José Mourinho to replace the Spaniard should.

Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (FC Porto), Rui Silva (Sporting CP), Jose Sá (Wolverhampton Wanderers).

Defenders: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Nelson Semedo (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain), João Cancelo (Al-Hilal), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting CP), Rúben Dias (Manchester City), António Silva (Benfica), Renato Veiga (Juventus).

Midfielders: Joao Palhinha (Bayern Munich), Rúben Neves (Al-Hilal), João Neves (Paris Saint-Germain), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), João Felix (AC Milan).

Forwards: Francisco Trincao (Sporting CP), Francisco Conceição (Juventus), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Geovany Quenda (Sporting CP), Rafael Leão (AC Milan), Diogo Jota (Liverpool), Gonçalo Ramos (Paris Saint-Germain), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr).

Ronaldo set for World Cup swansong in 2026

Since Ronaldo agreed to join Saudi Pro League (SPL) club Al-Nassr in December 2022, there has been plenty of speculation about his future in international football.

Many people claimed the move indicated Ronaldo’s net worth was worth more to him than playing at the highest level, but the now 40-year-old has done everything to disprove that argument does not stack up.

The veteran striker has continued to score goals for fun in the SPL, has shown no signs of slowing down and has continued to regularly find the net when representing Portugal.

He scored ten goals in the 2024 European qualification campaign and was a permanent starter during the tournament in Germany.

Ronaldo subsequently scored five goals in five appearances in the group stage of the Nations League, and was on target in the quarter-final tie against Denmark.

While he is yet to confirm he will be available for the 2026 World Cup in North America, it seems unthinkable that he will not be part of the Portugal squad next summer.

Undimmed ambition

Since Portugal crashed out of the last World Cup in Qatar, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star has been on mission to prove he is not finished.

He subsequently surpassed 900 career goals and broke Sergio Ramos’ record for the most international wins. Intriguingly, he has scored more goals after his 30th birthday than before.

Setting new benchmarks has been a driving forced behind Ronaldo’s stellar career and the 2026 World Cup offers him the chance to break even more records.

If he plays in just one match at the tournament in North America, he would become the first player in history to play in six editions of the World Cup.

Frustratingly perhaps for him, he would be forced to share the record with Lionel Messi if the Inter Miami superstar decides to have one last hurrah with reigning champions Argentina.

The records for the most World Cup appearances and most goals in the tournament are also achievable for Ronaldo next summer.

Elusive trophy

However, despite his desire to repeatedly etch his name into the record books, the one thing he really wants to add to his CV is a World Cup success.

Ronaldo already has a European Championship winners’ medal after helping Portugal lift the trophy in 2016, but the World Cup has eluded him.

Portugal teammate Diogo Dalot says the squad is desperate to help Ronaldo fulfil his dream of being a world champion before he hangs up his boots.

“Obviously, it is difficult to find more adjectives to describe Cristiano,” Dalot told beIN SPORTS.

“For me, and I believe for others too, it is a huge privilege to continue having him in the national team, to share moments and to soak up the experience of his career. There is this energy of wanting to see him win big competitions for Portugal.

“The love he has shown throughout his career cannot be questioned and, for us - using that as an example - it would be a beautiful story to see him win as many competitions as possible for Portugal. I believe that every player wants that.”

The other side of the argument

Ronaldo is a bona fide national hero in Portugal, of that there is no doubt, and one of the greatest footballers to ever grace the game, if not the greatest.

Nevertheless, many Portugal fans, journalists and analysts believe the team play better without his overbearing presence on the pitch, or at the least he should be used more sparingly, either substituted early in the second half of games or introduced as a late substitute.

This second option has the added benefit of making sure Ronaldo is on the pitch as one of Portugal’s designated penalty takers should the match go to a penalty shootout. Despite a couple of high-profile misses from the spot in the last year, Ronaldo has a brilliant success rate when taking penalties and would not be overawed by the task at hand, however important the occasion.

Under Martínez that is unlikely to happen, with the coach remaining 100% convinced that his captain is a fulcral part of the side. Should Mourinho be appointed Portugal coach ahead of USA 2026 the story may be different.