Ronaldo Makes History with Unprecedented 6th Consecutive World Cup Call-Up for Portugal
Portugal's living legend Cristiano Ronaldo (41, Al-Nassr) is set to rewrite the history books once again. With his inclusion in Portugal's final squad for the 2026 North American World Cup, he becomes the first male footballer ever to feature in six consecutive World Cup tournaments.
Portugal head coach Roberto Martínez held a press conference on the 20th (Korean time) at Cidade do Futebol in Oeiras, unveiling the 27-man final roster for the upcoming World Cup. And right at the heart of it, as always, stood the name of Cristiano Ronaldo.
With this call-up, Ronaldo officially steps into uncharted territory in men's football history — becoming the first ever to be selected for six consecutive World Cups.
Born in February 1985, Ronaldo is, in many ways, the embodiment of Portuguese football history itself. He stands as the only player to hold both his country's all-time records for international appearances (226 caps) and goals (143) — a truly singular figure in the national team's lore.
His World Cup journey began at the 2006 tournament in Germany (6 matches, 1 goal). From there, he went on to feature in the 2010 South Africa edition (4 matches, 1 goal), Brazil 2014 (3 matches, 1 goal), Russia 2018 (4 matches, 4 goals), and Qatar 2022 (5 matches, 1 goal) — never missing a single tournament across five consecutive World Cup cycles.
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Even more astonishing is the fact that he has found the back of the net in each of those five tournaments. His total record of 9 goals across 22 World Cup matches speaks volumes about the weight that the name "Ronaldo" carries on the grandest stage.
Only six players in the history of the game have ever earned the honor of appearing in five World Cups, Ronaldo among them. The list of names sharing this elite club is short: his eternal rival Lionel Messi (Argentina), along with Andrés Guardado, Antonio Carbajal, Rafael Márquez (all Mexico), and Lothar Matthäus (Germany).
With Messi widely expected to make Argentina's squad as well, the chances are high that the two great rivals will once again grace the same World Cup stage, side by side.
Portugal's final squad also features a host of star names from Europe's biggest clubs, including Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), João Neves, Vitinha, Gonçalo Ramos (all Paris Saint-Germain), and Pedro Neto (Chelsea), alongside Ronaldo.
A particularly poignant moment was also woven into the announcement. In tribute to Diogo Jota, who tragically passed away in a car accident in July of last year, the squad symbolically named him as their "28th player."
Speaking at the press conference, Martínez offered heartfelt words of remembrance: "After losing Jota last year, all of us went through a period of indescribable pain. He will continue to breathe with us — not just for this tournament, but forever as the eternal '+1' of our national team, deep within our hearts." His message resonated as both a tribute to a fallen friend and a touching reminder of the bond shared within the Portuguese squad.