Cristiano Ronaldo: Portugal legend confirms 2026 World Cup will be his last ahead of last-16 clash against Spain

06.07.2026, 14:07 skysports.com

Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed the 2026 World Cup will be his last as a player.

He and his Portugal team-mates face Spain in Dallas on Monday night, with a place in the quarter-finals on the line.

Speaking in a press conference ahead of the match, the 41-year-old said: "Let this be my last World Cup; it is my last World Cup, and I hope tomorrow won't be my last match.

The Al-Nassr forward was then given a round of applause by the journalists in the room as he departed.

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Ronaldo had earlier refused to confirm the tournament would be his last, even though he will be 45 when the next tournament is played in 2030.

"I will finish when I choose. You always ask the same question: is this the last one? We will see. I don't want to draw attention to this, the most important thing is to play well tomorrow," he said on Sunday.

"I'm going to be perfectly honest, regardless of what happens tomorrow, Cristiano is going ⁠to be 1,000 per cent leaving with a clear conscience.

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"I have given ⁠all I could to football, it's my passion to play for so many years. I didn't do it out of need, I'm doing well out of life. It's about passion. I ‌play for the national team and I love to play football.

"Regardless of what happens tomorrow I'm not going to exert pressure on myself that I must win.

"You have to enjoy every match at a huge competition like the World Cup. I think I'm not ‌doing so bad. I've scored three goals, others have done better but I think I'm doing not so bad."

The former Man Utd and Real Madrid forward had faced criticism for his performances at the World Cup, with Portugal producing uninspiring displays across their three group games.

Ronaldo failed to score in a shock opening draw against DR Congo but managed a double against Uzbekistan. Question marks over his involvement arose once more in a goalless draw against Colombia.

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The legendary Portuguese forward is his nation's leading goalscorer and appearance maker, scoring 146 in 232 caps. Ronaldo also became the first player to score at six different World Cups when he scored against Uzbekistan.

His goal from the spot in a 2-1 win over Croatia makes him the second-oldest World Cup goalscorer in history, and he is also the oldest to play in the knockout stages.

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