Cristiano Ronaldo named to sixth World Cup

Portugal included Cristiano Ronaldo in its 2026 World Cup squad on May 19, setting up a record sixth appearance for the captain if he plays in the tournament next month. ESPN first reported the selection, and Portugal’s squad announcement was also reflected in roster reports published Tuesday by other outlets covering the team list. Ronaldo, 41, first played at the World Cup in 2006 and has remained a fixture for Portugal across two decades of international football. His inclusion this year puts him ahead of the five World Cups previously reached by the small group of players who had shared the men’s record, according to reports on Portugal’s squad and tournament history. (usatoday.com) ### How did Ronaldo get to a sixth World Cup? Cristiano Ronaldo has remained Portugal’s central senior figure even as the squad around him changed from the 2006 generation to a newer group under coach Roberto Martínez. Reports published May 19 said Martínez named Ronaldo in Portugal’s World Cup group, with the forward still listed as captain. (nytimes.com) The 2006 tournament marked Ronaldo’s first World Cup, and the 2026 edition would extend that run across 20 years. Football España and other squad reports said no male player had previously reached six men’s World Cups, making this selection a singular milestone once he takes the field. (usatoday.com) ### Is the Portugal squad already official? FIFA said on May 6 that final squad lists for the 2026 World Cup must be submitted by June 2, and that national associations can announce squads earlier than that date. FIFA also said the official lists become final only after the governing body approves them. The squad size rules allow each country to register 23 to 26 players for the expanded 48-team tournament, according to FIFA’s squad guidance. (football-espana.net) That means Portugal’s May 19 announcement is effectively an advance team list ahead of the governing body’s formal publication date. ### What does Portugal’s announcement say about the team? (fifa.com) Portugal’s squad announcement on May 19 was presented by multiple outlets as one of the most closely watched roster reveals of this cycle because of Ronaldo’s place in it. PortuGOAL, which covers Portuguese football, reported that Martínez unveiled the squad at the Portuguese Football Federation’s Cidade do Futebol headquarters in Oeiras, outside Lisbon. (fifa.com) The same report said the group contained no major surprises beyond the attention naturally drawn by Ronaldo’s record-chasing inclusion. USA Today’s roster report described the team as Portugal’s official World Cup roster, while other reports focused on the historic dimension of Ronaldo’s presence rather than late omissions or injury replacements. (portugoal.net) ### What happens next for Ronaldo and Portugal? June 2 is the next hard date in the process. FIFA said all 48 nations must submit their final rosters by then, and it will publish the approved squad lists the same day. Portugal’s next step is to carry that squad through FIFA approval and into the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. (usatoday.com) If Ronaldo appears once the competition begins, he will set the record alone at six World Cups. (fifa.com)