Audio By Carbonatix
Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed the 2026 World Cup will be his last.
The 40-year-old, who has scored 953 goals for club and country, also said he would retire from football in "one or two years".
Next year's World Cup, taking place in Canada, Mexico and the United States, would be Ronaldo's sixth.
In an interview at the Tourise Summit in Riyadh, when asked whether 2026 would be his last World Cup, Ronaldo said: "Definitely, yes. I will be 41 years old, and I think [this] will be the moment in the big competition."
Ronaldo, who plays his club football in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr, is the all-time leading men's international goalscorer with 143 - while he continues to pursue a milestone 1,000 career goals.
The former Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus player said last week he would retire "soon" but confirmed on Tuesday it would likely be in the next couple of years.
"Let's be honest, when I mean soon, it's probably one or two years, I'll still be at the game," he said.
Ronaldo helped Portugal to the Euro 2016 title, but the World Cup is one of the few major trophies missing from the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's cabinet.
Roberto Martinez's side have yet to qualify for next year's tournament but will secure their spot if they beat the Republic of Ireland on Thursday.
Latest Stories
-
Black Queens arrive in Dubai ahead of Pink Ladies Cup
5 minutes -
Ghana Police Service warns public against fake traffic violation messages
19 minutes -
Kwadwo Poku recounts two-hour wait at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital over emergency care
25 minutes -
GOC backs Ghana Sports Fund as game-changer for sports development
31 minutes -
Sefa and Stonebwoy unite on playful Afrobeat anthem ‘Busy Body’
35 minutes -
Cocoa sector crisis poses a national security threat and danger to Ghana’s economy – IERPP to Government
44 minutes -
Today’s Front pages: Wednesday, February 25, 2026
1 hour -
What is wrong with us? When Filth Becomes Our Normal
1 hour -
Dome-Kwabenya MP hands over library to boost learning at community SHS
2 hours -
When the School Bell Rings for Violence: A National Wake-Up Call
2 hours -
Who has ever heard of the Department of Community Development?
2 hours -
Debt, dignity and the cocoa farmer: Separating political noise from structural truth in Ghana’s cocoa crisis
2 hours -
NDC and NPP are parties of the elites – Yaw Nsarkoh laments political drift
3 hours -
Talking 2028 in 2026 – Yaw Nsarkoh blasts NDC and NPP ‘party of the elites’ politics
3 hours -
Justice is not for lawyers alone – Yaw Nsarkoh demands broader national conversation
3 hours
