Published May 19, 2026
Cristiano Ronaldo will be playing in 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 “plus one” in memory of the late Diogo Jota.
Speaking in front of a packed house at Cidade de Futebol on Tuesday, Martínez confirmed that Ankara’s fourth-choice goalkeeper, Ricardo Velho, will be with the squad, but will only be added to the official 26-man list if one of the three registered keepers is injured.
Reigning Nations League champions Portugal will open Group K in a tournament played in the United States, Mexico and Canada when they face the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Houston on Sunday.
They then play Uzbekistan at the same venue on June 23rd, before finishing the group stage against Colombia on June 27th in Miami. The tournament will run from June 11th to July 19th.
Martinez said his selection was made up of “27 players plus one”, a reference to Liverpool forward Jota, who died at the age of 28 in a car crash last July.
“He is our strength and our joy,” Martinez said. “Losing Diogo was an unforgettable and extremely difficult moment. But the next day it was up to all of us to fight for Diogo’s dream and for the example he always set for the national team. Diogo Jota’s spirit, strength and example are +1 and will continue to be +1.”
The manager defended his decision to name four goalkeepers and five full-backs, leaving out players such as Matheus Fernandes, Ricardo Orta and Pedro Goncalves.
“The complexity of the tournament is very important: the weather, the time zone demands, everything we’ve already experienced in March,” Martinez said. “There are some positions where you need more than two players in each position, and you need five full-backs.”
He highlighted the versatility of Diogo Dalot, Joao Cancelo and Matheus Nunez, noting that attacking options such as Joao Félix, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and Francisco Trincao work between the lines, while Rafael Leao, Pedro Neto and Francisco Conceição provide width.
Martínez added that Velho understands his role as a development goalkeeper, pointing out that FIFA regulations only allow him to be substituted in the event of an injury during a tournament.
Portugal will play preliminary games against Chile in Oeiras on June 6th and Nigeria in Leiria on June 10th. FIFA stipulates that teams must enter training camp in Palm Beach, Florida, at least five days before the opening game.
Portugal World Cup representative
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (FC Porto), Jose Sa (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Rui Silva (Sporting CP). Ricardo Velho (Ankara Genklerbillisi);
Defenders: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United); Matheus Nunez (Manchester City), Nelson Semedo (Fenerbahce SK), Joao Cancelo (FC Barcelona), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Gonzalo Inácio (Sporting CP), Renato Veiga (Villarreal). Ruben Dias (Manchester City) Tomas Araujo (SL Benfica)
Midfielders: Ruben Neves (Al Hilal), Samuel Costa (Mallorca), Joao Neves (PSG), Vicinha (PSG), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City).
Forwards: Joao Felix (Al Nasr), Francisco Trincao (Sporting CP), Francisco Conceição (Juventus), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Rafael Leao (AC Milan), Gonzalo Guedes (Real Sociedad), Gonzalo Ramos (PSG) Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nasr).
