Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed that the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be his final appearance on the global stage, signalling the approaching end of an illustrious career.
The 40-year-old Portuguese icon, who has netted an incredible 953 goals across club and international football, announced during an interview at the Tourism Summit in Riyadh. He also hinted that he expects to retire from professional football within the next “one or two years.”
“Yes, definitely,” Ronaldo said when asked if the upcoming World Cup set to take place across Canada, Mexico, and the United States would be his last. “I’ll be 41 then, and I believe that will be the right time to step away from the big competitions.”
Currently playing for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo remains the top-scoring men’s international player of all time, with 143 goals for Portugal. He continues to pursue his long-standing ambition of reaching 1,000 career goals before calling time on his career.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who previously represented Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus, acknowledged that retirement is now near. “To be realistic, when I say soon, it means probably one or two more years in the game,” he explained.
Ronaldo, who captained Portugal to their historic Euro 2016 triumph, has collected nearly every major honour available in football, except the World Cup. His announcement marks the beginning of what could be the final chapter of one of football’s most remarkable careers.