Cristiano Ronaldo has finally confirmed what many football fans feared: the 2026 FIFA World Cup will definitely be his last dance on the world stage.
The Portuguese superstar made the emotional revelation on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, during a live appearance at the Tourise Global Tourism Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as revealed by sports expert Fabrizio Romano via his official X account.
Fabrizio Posted:
Cristiano Ronaldo: I will retire soon… I did and gave everything for football in the last 25 years.
It’s probably one or two years. For sure this will be my last World Cup, definitely. I’m really enjoying the moment told Tourise in Riyadh.
The 40-year-old superstar, who holds the record for the most international goals (143 and counting), looked back on his glittering 25-year journey with a touch of emotion and will definitely want to break more impressive records.
He earlier caused chaos in the footballing world following his controversial second interview with Piers Morgan, where he touched on numerous personal and professional topics, including a subtle jibe at his former club Manchester United that has now prompted Ruben Amorim to react in defence of the club.
Portugal are still fighting for a place in the 2026 tournament, with a crucial qualifier against Ireland on Thursday. And Softfootball understands that if they make it, Ronaldo could become the first man to feature in, and score in, six different World Cups.
His closest shot at lifting the trophy was back in 2006, when Portugal heartbreakingly fell short in the semi-finals; he will be looking at one last dance before calling it quits with the Portuguese national team.
