Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed the 2026 World Cup will be his last tournament and said he will retire from football within two years.
The 40-year-old, who has scored 953 goals for club and country, made the announcement during an interview at the Tourise Summit in Riyadh.
When asked whether 2026 would be his final World Cup, Ronaldo said: “Definitely, yes. I will be 41 years old and I think [this] will be the moment in the big competition.”
Ronaldo to retire from football in one or two years, says Portugal striker
Next year’s tournament, taking place in Canada, Mexico and the United States, would be Ronaldo’s sixth World Cup appearance.
Ronaldo, who plays his club football in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr, provided clarity on his retirement plans after saying last week he would finish “soon”.
“Let’s be honest, when I mean soon, it’s probably one or two years I’ll still be at the game,” he said on Tuesday.
Career achievements
The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus player is the all-time leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 goals. He continues to pursue a milestone 1,000 career goals.
Ronaldo helped Portugal to the Euro 2016 title, but the World Cup is one of few trophies missing from the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s cabinet.
Roberto Martinez’s side have yet to qualify for next year’s tournament but will secure their spot if they beat Republic of Ireland on Thursday.
