Cristiano Ronaldo has been excluded from Portugal’s squad for the upcoming pre-World Cup friendlies against Mexico and the United States as he recovers from a hamstring injury. The 41-year-old has not appeared for his Saudi club Al-Nassr since late February and is expected to regain full fitness in the next week or another. In the meantime, national team coach Roberto Martinez emphasised that even though he is currently out of the squad, Ronaldo’s World Cup spot remains secure.
“It’s a minor injury,” Martinez said at a press conference, adding that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner could be back “within one or two weeks”.
“Everything Cristiano has done physically during this season shows that he’s going through an excellent spell and that there are no physical problems. At the World Cup, the centre-forward position will be for Cristiano Ronaldo and Goncalo Ramos. We are looking for a third striker with a different profile,” Martinez added.
Notably, Portugal will take on Mexico on Saturday, March 28, in Mexico City, followed by a match against the United States three days later in Atlanta. Martinez described the upcoming friendlies as a critical opportunity to finalise tactical plans.
“This is the last chance to experiment, because it’s the final training camp before the World Cup squad is named,” he said.
Portugal’s FIFA World Cup 2026 schedule
The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19, will see Portugal placed in Group K alongside Colombia and Uzbekistan. The fourth team in the group will emerge from a playoff that could include New Caledonia, Jamaica, or the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo’s potential sixth World Cup appearance has drawn global attention, especially as the veteran chases his maiden FIFA honour.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (FC Porto), Jose Sa (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Rui Silva (Sporting)
Defenders: Matheus Nunes (Manchester City), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Joao Cancelo (Barcelona), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting), Renato Veiga (Villarreal), Antonio Silva (Benfica), Tomas Araujo (Benfica)
Midfielders: Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal), Samu Costa (Mallorca), Mateus Fernandes (West Ham), Joao Neves (Paris Saint-Germain), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Rodrigo Mora (Porto)
Forwards: Ricardo Horta (Braga), Pedro Goncalves (Sporting), Joao Felix (Al Nassr), Francisco Trincao (Sporting), Francisco Conceicao (Juventus), Rafael Leao (AC Milan), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Goncalo Guedes (Real Sociedad), Goncalo Ramos (Paris Saint-Germain)
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