Cristiano Ronaldo Confirms World Cup Future Amid Rumors of Retirement From Portugal National Team

Cristiano Ronaldo is playing in his final World Cup.

The Portugal star confirmed the 2026 tournament will be his last Sunday and said, "yes, it's my last one. Let's go and enjoy it," at a press conference with reporters.

This is a change from his previous comments when he said he would wait until the World Cup was over to make a final decision.

"The future isn't important right now," he told Portuguese broadcaster Sport TV (h/t Tom Gott of Sports Illustrated). "I'll talk about it ... I'll have time, after we win or lose, to talk to my family, and then make decisions the way I do.

"I don't make decisions on the spur of the moment anymore; now I take everything calmly. For now, it's about enjoying today."

Yet Ronaldo's sister, Kátia Aveiro, said a "reliable source" told her it would be the goal scorer's "last dance."

At 41 years old, Ronaldo is no longer at the peak of his career. Yet he still scored two goals in Portugal's group-stage victory over Uzbekistan and then buried another on a penalty kick in the round of 32 win over Croatia. 

It was his first World Cup knockout goal of his illustrious career.

It also helped clinch a spot in the round of 16, where Portugal will face the daunting task of going up against Spain. The winner of that will face the winner of the matchup between the United States and Belgium in the quarterfinals, so Ronaldo could end up facing the Americans before he retires from international play.

Ronaldo is playing in his record sixth World Cup and debuted for Portugal in 2003. He helped lead his nation to a fourth-place finish in the 2006 tournament and the quarterfinals in 2022.

In all, Ronaldo has 11 goals over 26 World Cup matches.